In the 2020 election, Joe Biden’s Democratic ticket fared very well with Muslim voters. Exit polls from The Associated Press found that the constituency backed Biden over Donald Trump by a nearly 2-to-1 margin.
There’s ample reason to doubt whether the incumbent president will be able to match that performance next fall. Recent reporting and polling has found that Biden is facing a significant backlash from Muslim communities opposed to his handling of the war in Gaza. Edward Ahmed Mitchell, the national deputy director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told The Atlantic’s Ron Brownstein, “There is a level of disgust and disbelief and disappointment at the administration’s handling of the crisis so far.”
As a matter of political strategy, it might be tempting to think Republicans would take steps to exploit the opportunity and encourage Muslim voters to give the GOP a fresh look. Those assumptions would be wrong.
The New Republic noted late last week that Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., has introduced new legislation that would “revoke the visas and refugee status of a number of Palestinians.”
The Safeguarding Americans From Extremism Act would require the Department of Homeland Security to refrain from issuing visas or granting refugee, asylum, or temporary protected status to anyone holding a passport issued by the Palestinian Authority. It would also revoke visas and refugee or asylum status for anyone who was granted it on or after October 1. The bill also directly orders Immigration and Customs Enforcement to remove those who lose their lawful status in the country under the new criteria.
Zinke’s proposal quickly picked up 10 co-sponsors. All 10 are House Republicans.
The measure, which stands no chance of becoming law, was part of a series of related efforts from GOP officials and candidates. Rep. Brian Mast, for example, went to the House floor last week and compared Palestinian civilians to Nazis. Soon after, Rep. Cory Mills, another Florida Republican, said in reference to footage of Palestinian casualties: “You literally have paid actors who are pretending to be killed, pretending to be treated.” Meanwhile, on the 2024 campaign trail, Donald Trump is vowing to impose another Muslim ban and slamming the Biden White House for extending humanitarian aid to Palestinians. For his part, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has insisted that the U.S. should not accept refugees from Gaza and has ordered two state universities to ban pro-Palestinian groups. Or put another way, as Muslim voters express disappointment with the Democratic president, the GOP isn’t exactly rolling out the welcome mat.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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