Trump’s Lebanese-born father-in-law reaches out to Arab Americans

One of Donald Trump’s emissaries to Arab Americans is Massad Boulos, a Lebanese-born businessman who moved to Texas as a teenager. Fluent in Arabic, English, and French, Boulos recently became part of the Trump family when his son married Trump’s younger daughter.

Boulos has taken on the task of persuading a politically influential Arab American community, disillusioned with President Joe Biden, that Trump is the better choice. However, many Arab Americans note that Trump has positioned himself as more pro-Israel than Biden and has made statements and policies criticized as Islamophobic.

Trump has a history of placing family members and their relatives in key campaign roles. Boulos, whose son Michael married Tiffany Trump two years ago, is the latest to rise in Trump’s political circle, using his connections to garner support for Trump’s 2024 campaign.

Some Trump allies believe they can exploit discontent within Biden’s base over his support for Israel’s offensive in Gaza, where over 37,000 people have died since Hamas’ October 7 attack, according to health officials in the Hamas-run territory. Biden faced significant protest votes in the Michigan primary from Arab Americans, a crucial Democratic bloc.

“The top concern for the Arab American community is the current war in the Middle East,” Boulos said in an interview. “The question is, who can bring peace and who is bringing war? And they know the answer to that.”

Despite Boulos’s efforts, some in the community remain skeptical due to Trump’s past statements about Arabs and Muslims. As president, Trump banned immigration from several majority-Muslim countries and questioned the loyalty of Muslim lawmakers. Now, as he campaigns for a second term, Trump has criticized Biden for not supporting Israel enough and threatened to deport pro-Palestinian protesters.

“I told Massad, ‘This isn’t about you being Lebanese and me being Lebanese,'” said Osama Siblani, publisher of the Arab American News in Dearborn. “You can’t just buy votes. You have to offer something substantial to the community, and Trump hasn’t done that yet.”

Boulos, often described as calm and humble, oversees a billion-dollar conglomerate. Born in Lebanon, he moved to Texas before attending the University of Houston and earning a law degree. He has been involved in Republican politics since his student days and now manages SCOA Nigeria, a conglomerate specializing in motor vehicle and equipment assembly and distribution.

Boulos’s political background includes an unsuccessful run for a parliamentary seat in Lebanon in 2009. He describes himself as a “friend” of Suleiman Franjieh, a Christian politician allied with Hezbollah.

A supporter of Trump since his first campaign, Boulos became more directly involved after meeting Trump at a White House Christmas party in 2019. Boulos has not made recent campaign donations but attended a “private fundraising event” with House Speaker Mike Johnson, Rep. Lisa McClain, and about 50 Arab Americans in Michigan.

Boulos’s role in the 2020 campaign has expanded since his son married Tiffany Trump in 2022, coinciding with growing Arab American dissatisfaction with Biden.

“One less vote for Biden is a vote for Trump,” said Bishara Bahbah, chairman of Arab Americans for Trump. Boulos works closely with this group, which has operations in Michigan and Arizona, prioritized by Trump’s campaign.

A May meeting in Troy, Michigan, included Massad and Michael Boulos, and Richard Grenell, a key Trump adviser. About 40 Arab American activists attended. Boulos said the meeting was primarily initiated by Grenell. The feedback was mixed, with some attendees feeling their concerns about Trump were not addressed.

“Grenell didn’t say what they would do but kept reminding us that there was no war during Trump’s presidency,” said Khaled Saffuri, an Arab American political activist. Grenell tried to have Trump address the attendees by phone, but he did not answer.

In subsequent meetings, Boulos has engaged with nearly 50 members of the Arab American community and had one-on-one sessions with influential leaders. Boulos begins these meetings by discussing the records of the Biden and Trump presidencies, then opens the floor for questions.

Siblani, after a two-hour meeting with Boulos, said Boulos argued that things were better for Arab Americans under Trump and that the world saw less conflict during his presidency. However, Siblani felt Boulos lacked evidence to support his claims.

“Massad can’t convince people to support Trump because he hasn’t offered anything substantial to the community,” Siblani said. “We need policy, not just access.”

Boulos said Trump “respects and admires” the Arab American community and denied that Trump’s immigration ban was a “Muslim ban,” calling it “extreme vetting from certain parts of the world.”

Boulos communicates the key messages from these meetings to Trump, pointing to a recent social media post from Trump promising to bring “peace in the Middle East” if reelected as evidence that Trump is listening to the community’s concerns.

Trump campaign spokesperson Brian Hughes said the campaign appreciates the support from Arab Americans and will continue to engage with them, criticizing Biden’s Middle East policies as leading to death, chaos, and war.

Some in the community are still considering other options besides Trump and Biden. Green Party candidate Jill Stein visited Dearborn to meet with leaders and discussed the possibility of the city’s mayor, Abdullah Hammoud, becoming her running mate. However, Hammoud is ineligible to serve as vice president due to his age.

Biden’s administration officials have also visited Dearborn to meet with local leaders and maintain ongoing contact with them, including Siblani.

Ammar Moussa, a spokesperson for the Biden campaign, criticized Trump’s outreach, calling Trump a significant threat to the Muslim and Arab community and accusing him and his campaign of being racist and Islamophobic.

Boulos said he will continue dividing his time between managing his company and meeting with the Arab American community until the November election. He emphasized that he is driven by being a concerned citizen and a Republican, without any aspirations for a role in Trump’s administration.