Mayor says no word on a D.C. job

Mayor Amer Ghalib meets with former President Donald Trump during last year’s campaign season. Photo: facebook

By Charles Sercombe
Ever since former President Donald Trump won the presidential election in November, there’s been one question floating around town:
Will Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib be on the move to the nation’s capital with a job with the Trump administration?
There has been broad speculation Ghalib will be rewarded for his endorsement of Trump.
Ghalib’s backing of Trump sparked support among many other Arab-Americans in the metro area, which likely contributed to Trump’s victory in the state.
Trump and Ghalib met several times when Trump campaigned in the metro area, and Trump even came to the Trump campaign office here in town.
At one of the meetings, Trump called Ghalib the “greatest mayor in the whole world.”
Ghalib’s endorsement of Trump attracted the attention of national media outlets for a number of reasons; the main ones being that Ghalib is Muslim, and the mayor of a city known to be a historically Democratic stronghold.
Most of the national press focused on Ghalib being Muslim, and his unlikely endorsement of Trump, who, during his first go-round in office, had a travel ban of people from Muslim majority countries, including Yemen.
Trump has previously described the Middle East populations in American cities as an “infestation” that should be eradicated.
Ghalib, who is from Yemen, and many others in the Muslim community, had a falling out with President Biden over his continued support of Israel and its war in Gaza, that has so far resulted in the death of about 50,000 Palestinians.
Ghalib has conceded that his endorsement of Trump has caused political blowback from some in the Democratic Party, both in the state and in the immediate area. He cited Wayne County’s sudden decision to stop yearly payments of $1.4 million to the city for the operation of the county jail here as a retaliation.
“It’s one of the consequences of the election, although Hamtramck voted for more Democrats, but it’s a collective punishment not understood at all,” Ghalib said.
Ghalib said he will take up the issue of funding with President-elect Trump.
“If I get a chance to talk to the president about this, we will make it an issue, because this is punishment for a political stance that we took,” Ghalib said.
So what are the prospects of Ghalib moving to Washington D.C., or taking an ambassadorship?
Ghalib is downplaying the possibility of being tapped by Trump, telling The Review:
“It’s possible, but I can’t confirm as of now. If there is anything, it would be announced by President Trump soon,” Ghalib said.
“As of now, I still have all options on the table, including running again for the mayor, but things may completely change over the next few weeks. We will see.”
While there appears to be no job offer yet, Ghalib received a signed note from Trump saying:
“Amer – You are great.”
Ghalib posted the note, which was written over an article in a conservative publication called The Midwesterner that was about Ghalib supporting Trump, on his Facebook page.
He had this to say about the message from Trump:
“When you wake up on Saturday morning, on a day off, to a message from President Trump, thanking you for the thousandth time two months after the election, for what you gave him, it means that he is a man of not forgetting the favor and a man of principles indeed.”
Posted Jan. 10, 2025