Former Obama official Van Jones warned on Thursday that Biden has his "work cut out for him" trying to regain the trust of young, Arab and Muslim voters who object to his support of Israel amid the war in Gaza.
President Biden is facing an electoral revolt among Arab and Muslim voters in Michigan who are outraged by his ongoing support for Israel, with some even accusing him of enabling genocide. Arab Americans living in Michigan have traditionally been reliable Democrats, with Biden carrying over 75% of the vote in the Arab-majority city of Dearborn in 2020. That voting block is now under threat, however, with some members of the community launching an "abandon Biden" campaign in protest of his handling of Israel's retaliatory war in Gaza.
Thursday night’s episode of CNN’s Erin Burnett OutFront focused heavily on Biden’s attempts to regain the trust of Arab American voters by visiting Michigan in person. It featured students who would be voting for the first time as well as a former field organizer for the Biden campaign who said he will not vote for the president again, viewing him as complicit in Palestinian deaths.
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When asked if he was concerned if such a move would help re-elect former President Donald Trump, the former Biden campaign staffer said, "It probably will. "We have seen four years of Trump and we have seen four years of Biden and people don’t really see a difference between the presidents."
Burnett turned to Jones and asked about the former campaign staffer that had turned on Biden over his foreign policy in Gaza. Burnett recalled how he had told their CNN reporter in Michigan "that he will not vote for Biden again even knowing that it may help Trump. He says Biden is ‘not somebody I can trust.’ How big of a problem is this for Biden right now, Van?"
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"It’s a big problem for him right now," Jones replied. "There are four syllables that are aimed at him. ‘Genocide Joe.’ That is becoming something you’re hearing from the younger people, the younger voters in the Arab American community."
He then added that while Biden can turn it around, it will take serious effort to do so.
"I think that he can turn it around, but you’ve got to be honest right now. You’ve got disappointment in the base with how he’s handling the war in Gaza," Jones said. "Now, the reality is Joe Biden has deep ties and long friendships in the Muslim community, Arab community. He can get back there but he’s got his work cut out for him right now."
