Last week, Ayad joined other Arab American leaders for a meeting with The Associated Press. Many of them had been deeply involved in conversations with both Democrat Kamala Harris’ and Trump’s campaigns as each courted their vote during the last presidential race.

“We get this all the time by media, okay? It’s basically, ‘How’d that decision go? How’d that work out for you?’” Ayad said.

Among the nearly dozen leaders — ranging from county commissioner to state lawmakers to business owners — there was wide agreement that life had not improved since Trump was sworn into office.

But there was little regret. Many said Democrats did not offer a viable alternative because Harris, the vice president at the time, did not distance herself enough from President Joe Biden’s support for Israel’s war in Gaza.

Project 2025 laid it all out in black and white. I do not understand all these fuckers whining about getting what they voted for.

Edit: My brothers and sisters. My beloved family on the internet, please do not get harsh with each other. I was merely trying to demonstrate that this is a difficult issue and placing blame on the victims of a barbaric governmental system is ridiculous when it is the government to blame. Please be kind to one another. We are all victims of this cruel world. Let us instead grieve together. In Love. Bless all y'all

Well, to be kinder to them; their options were watch their family die, or a final hail Mary and maybe Trump can do something. He did seem to be pretty against the wars in the middle east, according to media. Which I know was deception. So, I dont fault them. I fault Harris for not just saying, "Yes. I will end Israel funding and end the war in Gaza." She could have just done that and swept the win. But dems wanted to play party politics.

So, the people who are waking up every day to find a new family member dead, should not be faulted. The party that abandoned them should.

And lastly, put yourself in their shoes. You have two candidates. One says that what Israel is doing isn't great, but isn't bad and we should just keep rocking on. The other guy is the devil, but he's saying that he'll save your family. It's hard to think when you're in those situations.

Like most things, life is hard. It's gray and nuanced and contradictory at times. But at the end of the day, it is what it is. We have no real control over elections anyway, because not enough people vote. Better to just read on the porch with a cup of coffee and watch the bombs drop wondering when it'll end.

I mean Arabs voting for democrats would also be a leopard's ate my face so I really don't know why this is here might as well sticky this post then another when the democrats are in power

But there was little regret. Many said Democrats did not offer a viable alternative because Harris, the vice president at the time, did not distance herself enough from President Joe Biden’s support for Israel’s war in Gaza.

I have such a hard time understanding the sentiment. Trump's very first act in office in 2017 was to pass the Muslim ban. "Harris hasn't distanced herself sufficiently from Israel" seems a weird hill to die on when the other guy literally wants to erase your entire religion and culture from planet earth.

Trump claimed not to know anything about project 2025

Brutal but I think these faces were going to get eaten no matter what. America has a long history of aiding Israel's genocide.
I do think voters are learning how terrible aipac is and we might see them make decisions based on that. I’m skeptical bc voter memory is terrible.

Rhetoric is one thing; actions are another. Trump 1's actions weren't significantly worse than those of past American presidents. Now many people absolutely knew Trump 2 would be much, much worse than Trump 1 (not on Gaza though, to be clear), but most didn't know/denied that before he took office in January. IIRC the mayor of Dearborn said something like "Trump targeted us once and he'll do it again, but we were able to stop him once and we'll do it again."

"Harris hasn't distanced herself sufficiently from Israel"

Gencoide is never a weird hell to die on.

Cannot have both aipac and democracy

"Helped propel Trump" is absolute copium. Only 40% of Arab Americans voted for Trump, not enough to overturn any swing state.

It's about making the right choice. If you're gonna get fucked in the ass regardless, no one is going to mock you when you pick the smaller pineapple.

You’re getting downvoted but I don’t think you’re wrong so I’ll take some of your downvotes.

I’m not from the Middle East, but I have a close friend who is and has family in Lebanon. His experience has been what you’ve described.

You think you are funny but you will suffer too

Trump claims a lot of things. Everything out of his mouth is a lie.

Here’s an alternative perspective on that alternative perspective.

Their Hail Mary as you described it relied on a known factor of persecution of immigrants of all types, the LGBTQ+ community, the entirety of anyone who is (or is perceived to be) a “leftist”, and women as a whole.

So, they were willing to sell out all those people to be thrown in known horrors that were only going to ratchet up even further for their Hail Mary.

Sure it’s a Sophie’s Choice situation maybe I guess but also. Fuck em.

They gambled with the future of so many people. Including their own.

Don’t worry I still blame the base of American voters who we all know are the ride or die’s for this bullshit but there’s enough blame to go around to look at those margins that pushed it past the tipping point.

Yeah, I “get it”.

But, as someone who’s in a few of those above categories it’s not something I’ll soon be forgiving nor forgetting.

We're all suffering, and I assure you that none of us find this shit funny.

YA DON'T SAY

So, you're angry at them for being willing to throw the people who were willing to throw them under the bus under the bus?

the kind of people who might vote for him obviously don't think that.

In his first term, Trump moved the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and recognized it as captial of Israel, with a lot of issues. Whoever thougt that he would be better for Gaza than Harris lied to themselves

Trumps friendship with Bibi is well documented

The point is not “how dare they betray people who were already failing them.” The point is that, in trying to save themselves through a desperate gamble, they still made a choice that helped hand more power to someone whose openly stated agenda threatened a whole lot of other vulnerable people, including many who had nothing to do with their abandonment.

You can understand why someone makes a desperate choice without pretending the consequences disappear. Those are two different things.

So yes, the Democratic Party absolutely deserves blame for abandoning them, lying to them, and treating their lives as disposable. But that does not magically erase the fact that voting for Trump meant accepting the risk, or certainty, that immigrants, queer people, women, leftists, and plenty of others would be crushed harder too.

And that is the risk they accepted, same as many of those "immigrants, queer people, women, leftists, and plenty of others", and I'm gonna guess you too, accepted the risk of supporting the party that, as you said yourself, "absolutely deserves blame for abandoning them, lying to them, and treating their lives as disposable". And if you consider that something to neither forgive nor forget, then you also must understand that you did, in fact have something to do with their abandonment too.

Well sure. If you have good information and pay attention. Many struggle constantly not to fall behind, let alone keep up with events. Or pierce the propaganda bubble constructed around us. And it didn't help that people were hyper focused on Harris and Biden. Who did deserve it. But their focus allowed them to be manipulated and used to whitewash trump.

When you do it, making missteps to make it worse. It is in that instance.

Anarchist here. Sorry, not a democrat. I was in the streets literally fighting for them and others. Nice try though. Anyways, I have people to go feed. Good luck with this useless bullshit.

Sounds like Democrats want to shame people that didn't vote for them

Drank the kook-aid.

Yeah i mistyped it, but it’s staying.

Which is why the leopards they voted for are growing fat on faces.

Unless, of course, they're Arab-Americans. Never forget, never forgive, right?

You must be new here. From the sidebar:

If you don’t know what “Leopards ate my Face” is, try reading this post.

He tried to enact a Muslim ban in his first term. These people are beyond stupid.

You get what you voted for

It's a cumulative effect along with people like the log cabin Republicans, Caitlyn Jenners, and Jill stans

I don't care about downvotes lol

Yeah, I got friends/family out there, so I get it. Like most things in this world people draw a moral line in the sand and play the trolley problem. No answer is the right answer, unless that answer is zero violence.

Well conservatives do at least.

I don’t recall there ever being a time where Trump looked better for Palestine even if you believed him. The two candidates were at best tied on this particular issue but Trump so clearly was evil everywhere else

And the article still sounds like Democrats trying to shame people into voting for them.

Swear people need help with the concept of mutually exclusive

Did I get jill stien?

If he breathes, he's lying.

whites need someone to blame that isnt the dems

How much of the destruction of Gaza happened under Biden vs Trump.

Like fuck Trump but you liberals can't even acknowledge the facts.

Not a liberal, not an american. I think most destruction happened under Netanyahu

Imagine being so fucking stupid you believe the words of fucking Trump of all people. That’s a level of stupid that should disqualify you from voting.

Every MAGA i know is a fucking racist clown. That’s their only real opinion.

No. We begged our family to listen to us. Begged them. These people weren’t fucking scared of shit. They are racist. That’s as deep as this goes.

Fascism is always the wrong fucking answer.

They will feel the consequences for their choice as they fucking should.

Yes we are angry with them for choosing fascism. What the fuck is wrong with you for not understanding that?

I don’t give a fuck if you were threatened and told to punch me in the head. If you fucking do it I’m escalating that shit right back. Oh are you Victim? Well aren’t we all.

Consequences for actions is justice. It doesn’t matter if you’re too stupid to understand why you deserve those consequences.

What’s supporting? Putting trumps head onto Rambos body then putting that all over flags in your yard? Or how about driving around with a sticker on your truck that looked like Biden or kamala tied up in the back? How about GRAB THEM BY THE PUSSY, i would have aborted Tiffany, Epstein is a good guy he likes them young, oh hey look who raped a 13 year old child…

Yes you get judged for supporting that. I don’t give a fuck what stupid excuse you lie about today. There’s not a single example of this from the democrats no matter how shit they are.

So, it’s ok if Trump destroys everything they love as long as a Democrat doesn’t do it.

You can fucking vote for someone else. Jesus fucking Christ.