Trump picks second Muslim mayor of Michigan city for Middle East ambassadorship

Max Reinhart, The Detroit News on Mar 11, 2025

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President Donald Trump has chosen Dearborn Heights, Michigan, Mayor Bill Bazzi to be his nominee for U.S. ambassador to Tunisia, rewarding a second Metro Detroit Muslim mayor who backed his candidacy in 2024.

Trump last week appointed Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib to be the ambassador to Kuwait. Both nominations require approval in the Republican-controlled Senate.

"Bazzi is a decorated U.S. Marine, who honorably served our Country for 21 years, collaborating with U.S. Embassy Ambassadors, Diplomats, and Leaders throughout the World," Trump posted Tuesday evening on his Truth Social platform.

"Bazzi worked hard during the 2024 Presidential Election to help us secure our Historic Victory, and I look forward to seeing the great things he will accomplish for our Nation," the president said.

Bazzi confirmed the appointment on his Instagram page.

"Among the distinct countries I have visited over the years, I hold a great affinity to Tunisia and its honorable parliament members — along with the people I met while touring orphanages, women’s career institutions, schools, and a multitude of companies which distinguish the country’s rising presence in the region," he wrote.

Tunisia is a primarily Muslim country in Africa with a population of 12.3 million people. The U.S. was the first major power to recognize Tunisian sovereignty and established diplomatic relations in 1956, after it became independent from France, according to the State Department.

"With my visits oversees, the parliament cohort’s visits to the U.S., and the relations we have established over the years, I am excited to return and honorably represent our Country in Tunisia as its U.S. Ambassador," Bazzi added. "My purpose is to continue serving in capacities which make an impact, promote peace and diplomatic partnerships, which benefit our Country and enhance global relations."

In October, Bazzi endorsed the Republican in the traditional Democratic stronghold, speaking at Trump campaign rallies across the state in the final days of the election.

“I have never seen the devastation that we’re seeing right now," Bazzi said during an Oct. 26 rally in Novi, Michigan, in reference to the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine. "When President Trump was president, there was peace."

Trump won 44% of the vote in Dearborn Heights, a Wayne County community with a big presence of Arab Americans and Muslims, to Democratic nominee Kamala Harris' 38%, while Green Party candidate Jill Stein won about 15%.

Bazzi estimated he had talked to 1,000 people about voting for Trump in the weeks leading up to the election.

“I’m super excited that we have a change in an administration that didn’t care about nobody,” Bazzi said the day after the election.

“We changed a lot of votes even from Jill Stein — they shifted from Green to Trump,” Bazzi added.

The appointment comes as Bazzi has continued to spar with the City Council over the budget and other issues. The city narrowly avoided a government shutdown last year.

Bazzi has not attended council meetings for months. In January, he called council's actions "juvenile and unprofessional" after members read a what he said was an unsubstantiated complaint made by one city employee against another.

Three top brass from the Police Department are suing the city, alleging "race-based sabotage and harassment" on the part of Arab American elected officials, while the City Council in January passed votes of no-confidence against the mayor and police chief.

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