Amer Ghalib | |
|---|---|
| United States Ambassador to Kuwait | |
Presumptive nominee | |
| Assuming office TBA | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Succeeding | Karen Sasahara |
| Mayor of Hamtramck | |
| Assumed office November 3,2021 | |
| Preceded by | Karen Majewski |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1979 (age 45–46) [1] [2] Yemen |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Hamtramck High School |
| Alma mater | Henry Ford College Wayne State University |
Amer Ghalib (born 1979) is an American politician serving as the mayor of Hamtramck,Michigan since 2021. A socially conservative member of the Democratic Party,he is the first Arab American and Muslim to hold the office. He gained national attention as mayor for implementing an ordinance banning the Pride flag from display on city property, [3] divesting from investment in Israel, [4] and supporting Donald Trump in the 2024 United States presidential election. [5]
In March 2025,Trump named Ghalib as his nominee for United States ambassador to Kuwait. [5]
Ghalib was born in Yemen. [6] He immigrated to the United States in 1997 and worked in a factory that made plastic components for cars whilst attending Hamtramck High School. [6] He studied biology at Henry Ford Community College before attending Wayne State University where he received a biology degree. [6] and became a healthcare worker at a medical office in Hamtramck. [1] He has three children. [1]
In the 2021 Hamtramck mayoral election,Ghalib defeated incumbent mayor Karen Majewski with 68% of the vote. [7] He became both the first Arab American and Muslim to hold the position and according to the Detroit Free Press became the first non-Polish American mayor in 100 years. [1] A member of the Democratic Party,he worked with what was believed to be the first all-Muslim city council in the United States. [8] [9] In June 2023,the city council banned the pride flag from publicly owned flagpoles,with Ghalib stating that he "intended to bring neutrality to city property without promoting sexuality,racism,religion or politics". [3] The move prompted criticism from several Michigan Democrats,including Rashida Tlaib. [10] Ghalib described LGBTQ activists as a "militia". [11]
He met with former U.S. National Security Advisor Michael Flynn on September 12,2023. [12] In June 2024,Ghalib and the city council unanimously passed a resolution which required the city to avoid investing in Israeli companies or those supporting Israeli apartheid. [13]
During the 2024 Michigan Democratic presidential primary,Ghalib supported the Uncommitted Movement and recommended voters vote uncommitted instead of Joe Biden. [14] [15] In September 2024,Ghalib endorsed Donald Trump in the 2024 United States presidential election after meeting him at a town hall in Flint in which they discussed issues affecting Arab and Muslim Americans. [16] Kurt Streeter of The New York Times reported that as a social conservative,Ghalib found more in common with Republicans who had "actively courted him." [9] In his endorsement,Ghalib acknowledged their disagreements on key issues but that he believed that Trump would end the Gaza war. [9] Trump reposted his endorsement on Truth Social and Ghalib joined him on some of his presidential campaign rallies. [16] [17]
After Trump began his presidency in 2025,Ghalib posted on Facebook his continued support of Trump despite what the Facebook post acknowledged was Trump's expressed desire to permanently relocate Palestinians from Gaza. [11] In March 2025,Trump named Ghalib as his nominee for United States ambassador to Kuwait. Trump praised Ghalib on social media,writing,“Amer worked hard to help us secure a historic victory in Michigan". [5]
Amer Ghalib, a 42-year-old health care worker, has defeated Hamtramck Mayor Karen Majewski...
A Yemeni immigrant, the 44-year-old Ghalib was elected mayor in 2021...