Arab Americans who backed Trump in 2024 are abandoning his party for Abdul El-Sayed

Yahya Basha stands outside his hospital north of Detroit, surrounded by new blue signs he has put up: Abdul for US Senate.

He hired two people to guard the signs round the clock after they were repeatedly stolen. Some passers-by honk and give a thumbs-up, while others have called to complain.

It is a significant pivot for Dr Basha, 80, a Syrian-American physician and longtime community leader in Michigan.

Two years ago, he met Donald Trump and his team and helped build support for the Republican presidential candidate among Arab and Muslim American voters in the state.

Show caption: Syrian American doctor Yahya Basha standing next to signs he…

He still keeps a selfie he took with Mr Trump on his phone. Both men are smiling, while Mr Trump's eyes are closed.

In 2024, many Arab Americans were furious with the administration of Joe Biden, Mr Trump's Democratic predecessor, over its handling of the war in Gaza. Throughout the conflict, they felt their efforts to be heard on the issue had failed.

Dr Basha says the Trump team was, by contrast, very receptive to their concerns at the time. So he donated to the campaign and organised meetings with Arab-American leaders.

Show caption: Dr Yahya Basha and Donald Trump during the 2024 presidential…

But like many Arab Americans, his support for Mr Trump and the Republican Party has since dissipated amid discontent over the President's handling of the economy and the war in Gaza, as well as his decision to launch a new war in Iran.

Before Tuesday's midterm elections, Dr Basha has thrown his support behind Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic candidate for the US Senate in Michigan, despite being pleased with Mr Trump's approach to Syria.

He says he has personally donated about $500,000 to Mr El-Sayed's campaign – more than he has ever given to a single candidate – and helped him raise even more from Arab and Muslim Americans in Michigan and elsewhere.

“I'm happy with the President's support for Syria, for stability and safety, for an end to wars in Syria and for a united Syria,” Dr Basha says. “But at the same time, I don't want religion to become his comedy material.”

If Mr El-Sayed wins, he would become the first Muslim elected to the US Senate. But for weeks, Mr Trump has mocked his name at rallies and online, repeatedly referring to him as “Mohammed”.

The comments have deeply offended many Muslims, particularly in Michigan, a state Mr Trump has won twice.

“He is using a racist platform and attacking Abdul because of his name, and focusing on his religion, his mother or grandmother or sister. That's very cheap,” Dr Basha says.

Mr El-Sayed's opponent, Mike Rogers, a Trump ally, has also attacked him, claiming that the candidate and members of his family have connections to armed groups in the Middle East – allegations he has repeatedly denied.

Mr El-Sayed, 42, has campaigned on universal health care, ending state collaboration with federal immigration enforcement and stopping military funding for wars abroad.

Foreign policy has also been a major focus of his campaign. Mr El-Sayed has described Israel's conduct in Gaza as genocide and opposes further US military aid to the country.

He has argued that the US should instead prioritise funding domestic needs, such as education and health, a message that has resonated with many residents.

Candace Kawatso, 69, is a retired teacher from Detroit Public Schools. She said several of her students had suffered from lead poisoning, a longstanding public-health problem in Michigan, particularly in Detroit and Flint.

One of her third-grade pupils became almost blind. Ms Kawatso helped her to obtain free glasses after hers broke, through a programme championed by Mr El-Sayed when he was a public health administrator.

“He had the water tested for lead and had children in Detroit public schools tested for lead. He wants public schools to be more equitable. He wants everybody to have access to great public schools and health care,” Ms Kawatso said.

'Zero' support

Michigan is one of a handful of closely watched swing states, where the outcome of the Senate race could help to determine control of the chamber.

It is also home to the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the US. They make up about 5 per cent of the state's voters.

Wasel Yousef, a longtime Republican and community organiser, said support for Mr Trump among the community was now essentially “zero”.

“Arabs feel like Republicans have pushed them out,” Mr Yousef says.

Although he still plans to vote for Mr Rogers, he says he has been unable to help the Republican campaign among Arab and Muslim Americans. Much of the community's trust in the party has been lost.

Mr Yousef says he helped Mr Rogers to hold meetings with the Chaldean community and other Christian Arabs in Dearborn, where he retains some support.

Two years ago, Bishara Bahbah, a Palestinian American and longtime Democrat, established the group Arab Americans for Trump. The organisation played a significant role in rallying support for Mr Trump, particularly in Dearborn.

He went on to win Dearborn in 2024, securing more than 42 per cent of the vote.

Mr Bahbah said he had received personal assurances from Mr Trump and his team that the President wanted to end the conflict in Gaza – a sharp contrast with what he described as the Biden administration's refusal to heed calls to rein in Israel.

Although he credits Mr Trump with securing a ceasefire in Gaza, he says little has been done since to ease the suffering of Palestinians there.

Last year, he changed the group's name to Arab Americans for Peace after Mr Trump discussed the possibility of the US taking over Gaza. He says he is deeply offended by Mr Trump's recent remarks about Mr El-Sayed.

“People's names are very important to them. They're their identity, and you can't make fun of people's names,” he says.

Low approvals

The Republican Party is heading into the election just as its leader, Mr Trump, has a historically low approval rating stuck in the low to mid-30s. Many Americans are unhappy with the ever-rising cost of living, including increases in food and fuel prices. The war in Iran has also proved deeply unpopular.

Mr Rogers has campaigned on reviving the state's manufacturing industry, lowering the cost of living and strengthening public safety.

In recent weeks, he has sought to distance himself from Mr Trump on two issues that have become liabilities in Michigan: tariffs on Canada and the war in Iran.

In campaign ads he said, “Canada is not our enemy”, and urged a quick end to the Iran conflict, because of its impact on energy costs and household budgets. Neither ad names Mr Trump.

“The challenge for Rogers is that a lot of the affordability crisis and gas prices tend to impact white, working-class voters most because they do a lot of driving,” said John Feehery, a Republican strategist.

Midterm elections tend to attract low turnouts, but this year is set to buck that trend, with high numbers of early votes already cast.

The party of the sitting President historically loses seats in the House of Representatives.

"Typically a president, whether he's good or bad, Republican or Democrat, loses the midterms. Nobody's ever explained why," Mr Trump said from the Oval Office on Friday. "But I think we have a shot at doing well. Maybe very well."

Show caption: Flyers and signs at a Republican campaign headquarters, outs…

In Grosse Pointe, a wealthy suburb of Detroit, a Republican campaign headquarters is neatly arranged, with signs, billboards and campaign flyers displayed on tables.

Leslie, a volunteer, said she was initially drawn to Mr Trump because she saw him as a political outsider capable of disrupting a system she considered broken. She welcomed his first-term efforts to shake up Washington.

But she believes he has since become more like the establishment politicians he once promised to challenge.

“Trump was a disruptor and I was pro that,” said Leslie, who asked to be identified by her first name only.

She sees Mr Rogers as a more traditional Republican, particularly on fiscal issues and the concerns of working-class people.

“I feel like Trump has moved away from that position,” she said.

Although she remains a Trump voter, she said she was increasingly uncomfortable with his behaviour and the direction of his presidency.

“I can't stand all the name-calling. I can't stand it,” Leslie said.

Amy said she was drawn to Mr Rogers because of his stance on public safety. She was turned off by Democrats, including Mr El-Sayed, who she said supported reducing the number of armed police officers.

“The violence around here, the gunshots at night. I know that's about gun control and all that, but we need to – you can't take away our police,” she said. “You don't need as many police, but you need them.”

'This is America'

Amer Zahr, a comedian and activist, says Arab support for Mr Trump two years ago was not a rejection of the Democratic party, but a move to punish Mr Biden.

"It wasn't an embrace of Republicans, it was a middle finger to the Democrats," Mr Zahr says.

With early voting already under way, volunteers were gathering outside a voting centre in Dearborn. The latest forecast by On Point Politics shows that nearly 1.5 million votes have already been cast in Michigan, with the Democrats ahead by nearly 15 percentage points.

Adel Mozip, a Democratic candidate for the Dearborn school board, said parents were concerned about their children's education and school funding.

At the state level, he said, residents were also worried about rising prices, inflation and the cost of health care.

“I never imagined, as a Muslim and Arab American, that we would have somebody who's running in Grand Rapids, who's getting so many fans in Traverse City, and his name is 11 letters, and that's just a first name [Mr El-Sayed's full first name is Abdulrahman], who sounds like me, who prays like me,” Mr Mozip said.

“But this is America.”