White House officials will meet with Arab, Muslim, and Palestinian American leaders in Chicago on Thursday, according to a source familiar with the meeting confirmed to The Hill.
The meeting, which was first reported by CNN, comes as President Biden has faced increasing opposition from the pro-Palestinian community regarding his stance on the Israel-Gaza conflict.
The Illinois Democratic primary is next week, and there's a movement to encourage Democrats there to cast protest votes against Biden.
The Muslim Civic Coalition-Activate organization has launched a Protest Power Vote campaign urging voters in Illinois to write in “Gaza” on their primary ballots or leave it blank. Meanwhile, the “Abandon Biden” organization is also present in Illinois and is advocating for protest votes.
The call for a protest vote in Illinois mirrors similar efforts in Michigan and Minnesota, where 100,000 people in Michigan and 45,000 people in Minnesota voted “uncommitted.” Biden officially clinched the Democratic presidential nomination on Tuesday.
Biden is traveling to Michigan on Thursday and is not expected to meet with leaders in the Arab American community while he’s there. Biden has pushed for a temporary cease-fire in the Middle East to release hostages and provide aid to Gaza, while advocates have pushed for him to call for a permanent cease-fire.
CNN reported that the White House officials meeting with the leaders in Chicago include Tom Perez, director of intergovernmental affairs, Steve Benjamin, director of public engagement, and Mazen Basrawi, liaison to Muslim-American communities, among others.
