Why Muslim voters helped Trump win the White House

Trump courted the Muslim vote in Michigan in the final days of his campaign. Getty Images

For those gripped by the drama of the US presidential election this week, the trend of Muslim Americans voting for Donald Trump can seem complex and often puzzling, given his controversial stances and comments regarding Islam and immigration.

In the 2016 and 2020 elections, polling data showed that a small but significant segment of the Muslim-American community supported Mr Trump. Although the close-fought election of 2024 is over, it is still worth exploring why some Muslim Americans chose to support a candidate perceived by many as divisive on issues related to their faith and community. The answers reveal a group of voters with a diverse range of opinions, something that both main parties in the US would do well to appreciate in future.

Although much of the scrutiny of Muslim-American discontent focused on the Joe Biden administration’s controversial support for Israel during its war on Gaza, one major reason why some in the community eventually voted for Mr Trump is his conservative position on economic and social issues. Many Muslim Americans value personal responsibility, family cohesion and moral clarity on social issues like marriage and family structure; these align with the current Republican platform.

Mr Trump’s economic policies – lower taxes, limited government regulation, and entrepreneurial incentives – also appealed to many in Muslim communities, especially those who are small business owners. A lot of Muslim Americans are highly entrepreneurial and find economic opportunities attractive. Therefore, it should be no surprise that Mr Trump's pro-business policies resonated.

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic also played a role in shifting perspectives. Many small businesses were heavily affected, and Mr Trump’s messaging around economic recovery, stimulus policies and limited lockdowns resonated with entrepreneurs, including those in the Muslim community. Although the Trump administration’s pandemic response was contentious, its focus on rebuilding the economy struck a chord with those whose livelihoods were severely affected. Mr Trump’s call for economic resilience and self-reliance appealed to those who prioritise economic recovery over extended government intervention. Additionally, Mr Trump’s emphasis on law and order spoke to some Muslim Americans who saw this a commitment to maintain community stability and safety.

Overall, this focus on conservative values can create a more compelling case for Muslim-American support for Mr Trump over progressive alternatives that may not align with their own views on family or community structure. This is because although many Muslims appreciate the inclusivity and progressive position of the Democrats on religious and racial diversity, others feel it has increasingly leaned towards a "woke" agenda that sometimes conflicts with their cultural values. This discomfort pushed some Muslim voters towards Mr Trump, who they perceived as being less interested in these social and cultural debates. This also applies to some Latino voters who adhere to conservative religious and traditional values.

Undoubtedly, some Muslim Americans also felt let down by the Democratic Party, particularly on foreign policy issues concerning the Middle East. Under Democratic administrations, including that of Barack Obama, the US took actions that many Muslims perceived as harmful to the Muslim world – American drone strikes on Yemen that hit funerals or weddings and the way Libya was handled by Hillary Clinton as secretary of state are just two examples. Washington’s history of complex relationships with Arab countries in the Middle East led some Muslims to regard the Democratic Party as paying lip service to Muslim issues domestically but not addressing Muslim communities' concerns abroad.

In contrast, Mr Trump’s approach in the Middle East – which included his administration brokering recognition deals between several Arab countries and Israel – was seen by some Muslim Americans as an unconventional but pragmatic way to end to long-standing regional conflicts. Although his administration took several controversial steps, such as recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, even that would not have impeded a Palestinian state, given that the American embassy is located on land that is not in East Jerusalem.

In fact, Mr Trump’s stance contrasted with US military interventions under previous administrations. Although Mr Trump’s 90-day travel ban on specific Muslim countries in 2017 angered many Muslim Americans, they soon remembered that this short list of seven nations – Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen – had been generated by the Obama administration based on specific criteria relating to the inability of American embassies in these states to vet visa seekers at a time when ISIS was still active in these places. The so-called Muslim ban did not include Muslim-majority countries such as Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia or Indonesia because such vetting was not an issue there.

In addition, some in the American-Muslim community felt Mr Trump’s focus on reducing America’s military presence abroad was a shift towards less direct involvement in Muslim-majority countries, appealing to those who regard US intervention as destabilising. After all, there were no wars on his watch. The Biden administration's complete failures regarding Israel’s continuing wars in Gaza and Lebanon stand in stark contrast.

An emerging factor among some Muslim Trump supporters was concern about religious freedom. Many Muslims regard the rise of secularism and progressive ideologies in the US as threats to traditional religious values. For example, some conservative Muslims share with other religious groups a discomfort with what they view as the Democratic Party's focus on social issues such as LGBTQ+ rights, which they fear may infringe on religious liberty in certain settings. They saw Mr Trump, and the broader Republican agenda, as more likely to defend religious exemptions and protect traditional practices.

Mr Trump’s Supreme Court appointments played into this, as these justices are often thought of as upholding religious freedom and resisting secularising forces in American culture. These appointments resonated with Muslims who felt that their religious rights might be undermined by expanding progressive policies.

Another reason some Muslim Americans voted for Mr Trump is the desire for political diversity within their community. Muslim Americans are often perceived as being politically monolithic, usually aligning with the Democratic Party. However, a subset of the community seeks to challenge this stereotype, hoping to integrate Muslim voices into both political parties to ensure their concerns are heard across the spectrum. This strategic reasoning is less about full alignment with Mr Trump’s views and more about establishing a foothold in both major parties for long-term influence.

Furthermore, the experience of discrimination and Islamophobia is not limited to Mr Trump’s base; many Muslim Americans feel they have encountered prejudice across the political spectrum. They recognise that political support in the US requires coalition-building with diverse groups, including those on the right. Supporting Mr Trump, therefore, becomes a way for these Muslim voters to assert independence and build broader alliances.

Muslim-American support for Mr Trump, though still a minority within the community, is rooted in a variety of factors that reflect the diversity of perspectives within this demographic. Economic conservatism, dissatisfaction with American foreign policy, a desire for religious freedom and the strategic decision to establish political diversity all contributed to some Muslim Americans regarding Mr Trump as a viable option.

This trend underscores the complexity of Muslim-American political identity, challenging the narrative that this group uniformly aligns with progressive policies or the Democratic Party. As the 2024 election recedes, it is in both parties’ interest to recognise the nuanced concerns and aspirations within the Muslim-American community, acknowledging that their votes are not guaranteed and must be earned through meaningful engagement on issues that matter most to them.