White House Officials to Visit Michigan to Meet with Muslim and Arab American Community Leaders

Senior Biden administration aides will travel to Michigan on Thursday to hear directly from Muslim and Arab American community leaders on their top issues and concerns, including, most notably, the Israel-Hamas war and civilian casualties in Gaza.

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Biden has been under pressure to respond more aggressively to the civilian death toll in Gaza, which surpassed 27,000 this month, according to local health authorities. The U.S. began sending humanitarian aid to Gaza in November and Biden had also pushed Congress to pass a bipartisan immigration deal that included further aid for Palestinians in Gaza.

CNN was the first to report Thursday’s trip to Michigan.

Biden administration officials’ meeting with Muslim and Arab Americans on Thursday is the latest episode in their outreach to the community as the president continues to face criticism for his response to the Israel-Hamas war.

The president also quietly hosted a meeting with a handful of Muslim leaders in October, according to four sources familiar with the White House gathering, amid pressure from the Arab American community over what they viewed as his disregard for the deaths of Palestinian civilians {snip}