Mayor lashes out on media

Mayor Amer Ghalib

By Charles Sercombe
When it comes to criticizing the media, Mayor Amer Ghalib is sounding just like his would-be boss, President Trump.
Trump nominated Ghalib to be the newest U.S. ambassador to Kuwait, but Ghalib has yet to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. That confirmation date has not been announced yet.
In the meantime, Ghalib has been the focus of several potentially troublesome media reports, which included an accusation by the Anti-Defamation League that he is antisemitic.
Media reports have also spotlighted his support of banning the display of pride flags on public property.
Ghalib, a Muslim and immigrant from Yemen, was thrown into the national and international spotlight when he broke with the Democratic Party and supported Trump for president. That caught the attention of the Trump campaign, and Trump has embraced Ghalib, calling him, at one point, “the greatest mayor.”
Ghalib has been credited with influencing fellow Arab and Muslim community members in Hamtramck and Dearborn to rally around Trump, in a gambit that likely played a significant role in Michigan voting in support of Trump.
That support confused a number of political observers, in light of Trump’s travel ban on Muslims in his first term (he has also re-proposed it), and his unwavering support of Israel and its war in Gaza.
At a recent city council meeting, Ghalib lashed out at some of those media outlets, although he did not specifically name any.
He said there are media reports that write “very, very biased articles. You can tell when you read them. … The only thing left out is cussing me out… but I want to send a message to the people – you know, the radical media.”
Trump often calls the media “fake news” and labels his media detractors as being among “the radical left.”
Ghalib, 45, said his shift away from the Democratic Party was more about his support of conservative social cultural issues, although he did not specify what the issues were.
“I think what happened in the past, pressuring our community to shift to the other side is … disrespectful of our community and our choices and not respecting our political views when we disagree with each other,” he said.
Ghalib said that criticism of him being anti-LGBTQ and of transgenderism has resulted in a “war against us.” He said critics have yet to “learn from your mistakes in the past, and you’re going to pay the price again in the future.”
Ghalib continued: “I think what happened, that shift in the presidential election, was a response to this kind of behavior by some politicians and by the radical media. … So if you don’t want to fix your mistakes that you have committed in the past by treating our community with respect, to respect our choices then that means you haven’t learned your lesson.”
Ghalib further warned those who were critical of his conservative cultural views: “The future will hide a lot of surprises for you, and you are going to keep paying the prices.”
Ghalib, who is in his first term, has decided to not seek re-election this year, and instead is focusing on Senate confirmation. He is throwing his support to his campaign manager, Adam Alharbi.
Posted April 25, 2025