Former mayor announces new job

After months of waiting, former mayor Amer Ghalib announced this week that he has been hired by President Trump’s administration to be a consultant working with AmeriCorps.

By Charles Sercombe
Former mayor Amer Ghalib is moving on to a new job.
As he has predicted for the past few months, Ghalib is now working for President Trump’s administration, for the federal agency AmeriCorps, where he will hold the title of Senior Consultant for Strategic Partnerships.
Ghalib was initially nominated by Trump to be ambassador to Kuwait, but that nomination hit a roadblock at a confirmation hearing with the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee last October.
That original nomination appeared to be a reward for Ghalib’s endorsement of Trump in the 2024 presidential election. Ghalib was credited with influencing other Arab and Muslim voters in the Detroit area to switch from supporting Democrats to Republicans.
But, during his confirmation, both Republican and Democratic senators took issue with Ghalib’s past comments and social media activity that they considered to be antisemitic.
The Senate Committee ultimately never even took up a vote on Ghalib, which prevented him from getting the ambassador job.
Here’s what Ghalib has to say about his new role on his Facebook page, in an apparent rough translation from Arabic to English:
“It is official, I took the constitutional oath today, and discharged my duties in office.
“On this occasion, I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to President Donald Trump for trusting me, and entrusting me with this position within his administration and leadership, through which I can work with integrity to serve the interests of American citizens first, without any opposition to the interests of other countries.”
“This role also allows me to develop partnerships with local communities and civic organizations across the country, through my work at AmeriCorps, to serve citizens in multiple areas including health, education, housing and public safety, and foster a culture of engagement in various fields of public service.
“I had asked the President to reconsider appointing me as ambassador to the State of Kuwait, and advised me, thanks to the Trinity, until the vote in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Except that I explained to him the loss of my family and the desire to travel abroad, after the difficult and bitter experience that accompanied the certification stage of appointment…
“The President, thankfully, has preferred to respond to my request and give me another position aligned with my wishes, through which I can employ my experience and background in public work to serve American citizens, away from the controversy and conflicts that some people get to activate and engage in.
“I will do all I can to serve all, including our small community who has been loyal to me, and will remain loyal to them, courageously defending their rights and freedoms, and a sincere voice expressing their aspirations and causes.
“Thanks to all, and with God’s blessing we start a new chapter of this, The Journey. …
“I will draw on my skills, experience, and knowledge to build meaningful partnerships, solve complex challenges, and help uplift local communities across the nation.
“I am excited to begin this new chapter, and look forward to working alongside an exceptional team of dedicated and patriotic public servants.”
AmeriCorps serves about 70,000 Americans, and works in conjunction with community organizations and nonprofits.
It’s also informally known as the “domestic Peace Corps.”
Ghalib told The Review that his salary has not been set yet, but it’s in the range of $200,000.
Ghalib has also talked about the possibility that the Trump administration has been looking into his request for financial assistance for Hamtramck – particularly, for replacing the remaining sewer lines.
He has said the city could receive as much as $50 million up to hundreds of millions.
Ghalib, a Muslim immigrant from Yemen, was asked by The Review whether he had any reservations about working with the Trump administration considering how the immigration agency ICE has been handling the crackdown on illegal immigrants. He said:
“There is a reason why I chose this position, and that is to stay away from controversy and to continue with public service. I accepted this appointment by the president based on my request, after I found some opposition to my ambassadorial confirmation, so I can focus on promoting civic engagement, public safety, health, education, housing, crisis management, disasters preparedness, supporting youth, veterans and seniors, and building partnerships with local communities and organizations in all fifty states.
Ghalib continued: “This is what I would like to continue working on. I’ll try as much as possible to stay away from politics. However, I’ll do my best to keep ICE away from our community, because there is no reason for them to come.
“Our city is one of the safest in the country and the crime rate here is one of the lowest, and we have no illegal immigrants or criminals in our community. I’ll continue to be in the frontline to serve, support and protect this community in any capacity I can.”
Posted Jan. 31, 2026