US President Donald Trump expressed gratitude to the Muslim American community for their support during the 2024 presidential election, as he hosted the first Ramadan iftar dinner of his second term at the White House.
Speaking at the event, Trump acknowledged the "hundreds of thousands" of Muslim Americans who supported him in last year’s election and promised to reciprocate their backing.
"As we honor the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, let me begin by saying to our Muslim friends, we have many tonight, and I think we have many all over the world based on the results in Michigan, other places, but I just want to say hello to all of the people that supported us so strongly, Ramadan Mubarak," Trump said.
He also took the opportunity to emphasize his administration's commitment to peace in the Middle East, highlighting the success of the Abraham Accords, agreements that normalized relations between Israel and several Muslim-majority countries during his first term.
"We're keeping our promises to the Muslim community. My administration is engaged in relentless diplomacy to forging lasting peace in the Middle East, building on the historic Abraham Accords, which everybody said would be impossible, and now we're going to start filling them out," he added.
Trump’s remarks also touched on his administration's ongoing diplomacy, asserting that they were "keeping promises" to the Muslim community. He referenced his efforts to foster peace and stability in the region, including a pledge to end the conflict between Israel and Gaza, which led to a temporary ceasefire just before he took office.
The president’s comments come amidst renewed violence in Gaza, with Israel resuming its offensive in the region earlier this month.
Trump has stood by Israel’s actions, promising increased military assistance, and has controversially proposed taking control of Gaza to develop the region under his administration’s vision.
It is unclear how many Muslims were in attendance for Thursday night's iftar, but there were seats in the room for just over 60 people.
Many of those in attendance were non-Muslim political figures, including Trump allies such as Sen. Lindsey Graham, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau.
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