WASHINGTON, United States (US): US President Donald Trump on Thursday thanked the “hundreds of thousands” of Muslim Americans who supported him during the 2024 presidential election as he hosted the first White House Ramadan ‘iftar’ dinner of his second term.
Trump said the Muslim community “was there for us in November”, referring to last year’s election, and pledged to “be there for you” in return, Anadolu Ajansi (AA) reported.
“As we honour the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, let me begin by saying to our Muslim friends – we have many tonight, and I think we have many all over the world, based on the results in Michigan and other places.
“I just want to say hello to all of the people who supported us so strongly. Ramadan Mubarak,” he said during remarks at the State Dining Room.
“We are keeping our promises to the Muslim community.
“My administration is engaged in relentless diplomacy to forge lasting peace in the Middle East, building on the historic Abraham Accords, which everyone said would be impossible – and now we are starting to expand on them,” he added.
Trump was referring to the series of agreements made during his first term that normalised relations between Israel and several Muslim-majority countries.
A historic number of Muslim Americans voted for Trump in the 2024 election, marking a significant departure from the community’s traditional alignment with the Democratic Party.
The shift was largely driven by discontent over former President Joe Biden’s support for Israel’s war on Gaza.
During the campaign, Trump had repeatedly pledged to end the conflict, and a ceasefire was reached shortly before he returned to office in January. – BERNAMA-ANADOLU
