Trump Asked Muslim Voters to Trust Him. Now Some Feel Used.

Some Muslim voters who backed Mr. Trump in 2024 say they believe he pledged his support when it was politically convenient, only to alienate and scapegoat them once he won the election.

This month alone, President Trump has called Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for Senate in Michigan, a "vicious, violent jihadist." He has repeatedly vilified Somali Americans in Minnesota, prompting calls for security measures at mosques. He gave a lift on Air Force One to a far-right activist who has called herself a proud Islamophobe.

Mr. Trump's words and actions have rattled communities around the country, including Somali American neighborhoods in Minnesota and predominantly Arab American areas in Michigan. And they have come as anti-Muslim rhetoric has become increasingly normalized in the ranks of the Republican Party ahead of the midterm elections.

For some Muslim voters who backed Mr. Trump in 2024, it all feels like a betrayal.

Two years ago, as a presidential candidate, Mr. Trump made considerable efforts to win votes in some Muslim communities. Now they say that Mr. Trump pledged his support only when it was politically convenient, then alienated and scapegoated them once he won the election.

"My whole community is scared," said Hassan Nehme, who served as a vice chair to the Michigan Republican Party in 2024 and helped the Trump campaign reach Muslim and Arab American communities like Dearborn. "It's post-911 in Dearborn. It's that feeling, like we're under attack."

He added: "And this is the same guy we went out and fought tooth and nail for."

Olivia Wales, a White House spokeswoman, said in a statement that Mr. Trump was "calling out the radical extremists stoking division, defrauding their communities and perpetuating violence."

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