Washington, Mar 28: US President Donald Trump hosted an iftar dinner at the White House, marking the Islamic holy month of Ramzan and expressing appreciation for Muslim American support in the 2024 election.
Trump said, “We started a little slow with you, but we came along. The Muslim community was there for us in November, and while I’m president, I will be there for you.”
The event took place amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, following the collapse of a ceasefire brokered by the US, Qatar, and Egypt.
Trump reaffirmed his administration’s diplomatic efforts in West Asia, referencing the Abraham Accords, saying, “My administration is engaged in relentless diplomacy to forge lasting peace in the Middle East.”
Protests took place outside the White House, with civil rights groups criticizing the exclusion of American Muslim leaders from the guest list.
Protesters claimed only foreign Muslim diplomats were invited, and activists held signs condemning Trump’s past policies, including his attempts to ban immigrants from several Muslim-majority countries.
A protester told US media, “You cannot celebrate Ramadan while excluding the very people who make up the Muslim American community.”
In 2023, many Muslim leaders skipped the White House iftar in protest of the Biden administration’s support for Israel in the Gaza war.
Hosting an iftar at the White House is a tradition dating back to President Bill Clinton, continued by Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
Trump faced criticism in 2017 for skipping the event but reinstated it in 2018.
