President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speak during a news conference in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)2025-02-05T16:59:23Z LANSING, Mich. (AP) A group that played a key role in Donald Trumps voter outreach to the Arab American community alongside his allies is rebranding itself after the president said that the U.S. would take over the Gaza Strip. Bishara Bahbah, chairman of the group formerly known as Arab Americans for Trump, said during a phone interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday that the group would now be called Arab Americans for Peace.The name change came after Trump held a Tuesday press conference alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House and proposed the U.S. take ownership in redeveloping the area into the Riviera of the Middle East.The talk about what the president wants to do with Gaza, obviously were completely opposed to the idea of the transfer of Palestinians from anywhere in Historic Palestine, Bahbah said. And so we did not want to be behind the curve in terms of pushing for peace, because that has been our objective from the very beginning. Arab Americans for Trump helped lead voter outreach efforts for Trump ahead of the 2024 presidential election in swing states such as Michigan and Arizona. The residents of Dearborn, Michigan -- the heart of Arab America are going to take a deep breath following President Donald Trumps Gaza comments, a community leader said (AP video: Mike Householder) The group, independent from the Trump campaign, frequently facilitated meetings between Arab American community leaders and Trumps allies, including Richard Grenell, now serving as Trumps envoy for special missions, and Massad Boulos, the father-in-law of Trumps daughter Tiffany and now a senior adviser on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs. In the 2024 election, Trump became the first Republican presidential candidate to win Dearborn, Michigan home to the nations largest concentration of Arab Americans since 2000 on his way to winning the state. Trump visited Dearborn on Nov. 1. Bahbah said the group had been thinking about changing its name for a while and ultimately made the decision Tuesday. But Bahbah had said during a phone interview just prior to Trumps Tuesday night press conference with Netanyahu that the groups name was Arab Americans for Trump. In a press release issued Wednesday by Arab Americans for Peace, the group said its members appreciate the presidents offer to clean and rebuild Gaza but take issue with the presidents suggestion of taking over Gaza and removing its Palestinian inhabitants. JOEY CAPPELLETTI Cappelletti covers politics and state government for The Associated Press in Michigan. He is based in Lansing. twitter mailto