Pro-Palestinian activists say blame for Trump's election win lies with Democrats
For Democratic pro-Palestinian activists, Donald Trump’s reelection delivered a bitter vindication.
Led by the Uncommitted National Movement, they spent months pushing and pleading with the Biden administration to scale back its support for Israel’s war in Gaza.
Their warning had been consistent and direct: Not only did Democrats risk collapsing support among Arab American and Muslim voters in Michigan, but the conflict — and the continuous flow of military aid to the Israeli government — could depress enthusiasm among the coalition of young, mostly progressive-minded voters who proved key to President Joe Biden’s victory in 2020.
“We told them that the impact of Gaza was going be bigger than just the Arab community. It’s why the turnout was lower in college areas and among young Black voters,” said James Zogby, co-founder of the Arab American Institute and a Democratic National Committee member for more than 30 years.
Early post-election analysis of the race suggests that those concerns were well-founded — and emblematic of a broader disconnect between party leaders and the Democratic grassroots. Arab Americans, like Latino and Black men, all moved toward Trump in the final accounting. The president-elect’s vote-share improved nearly everywhere, from the red states he’s dominated for nearly a decade to traditionally liberal electorates, where Democrats either stayed home or, to a lesser degree, backed third-party candidates.
Activists and voters who spoke to CNN over the past three days unanimously rejected any suggestion that their work was to blame for Harris’ unraveling.
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