"I'm thrilled to accept the endorsement of these highly respected leaders," Trump told the crowd in Novi, a Detroit suburb.

The principal motivator of the endorsements appears to be outrage over the Biden-Harris administration's support of Israel's long, astoundingly destructive war on Gaza -- and a belief that even ardent Israel-backer Trump would be far more likely to bring the carnage to an end. Imam Belal Alzuhairi took to the stage in the Detroit suburb of Novi to voice that very sentiment: 

"We, as Muslims, stand with President Trump because he promises peace, not war! We are supporting Donald Trump because he promised to end war in the Middle East and Ukraine. The bloodshed has to stop all over the world, and I think this man can make that happen. I personally believe that God saved his life twice for a reason."

Alzuhairi also commended Trump's commitment to protect children from school curricula that undermine family values, and to creating a strong border and stopping illegal immigration: 

Dearborn Heights mayor Bill Bazzi likewise embraced Trump as potential peacemaker, telling the crowd, "We're going to stop the wars, we're going to make the United States safe again, and we're going to make the world safe." Amer Ghalib, Muslim mayor of Detroit suburb Hamtramck, endorsed Trump on Oct. 20. Liberals celebrated when Hamtramck elected a majority-Muslim city council in 2015, and then Ghalib as its first Muslim Mayor in 2021, but they recoiled and even felt betrayed when the council barred LGBTQ Pride flags from city flagpoles last year.