CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Muslim American leaders met in Chicago on Saturday in an attempt to expand a nationwide campaign they've called "Abandon Biden," an effort they said stems from President Joe Biden's failure to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
University of Minnesota Professor Hassan Abdel Salam, a leader of the effort, said they cannot support Biden. He claimed that their campaign could potentially cost the president seven to nine "critical states" in 2024, but he said that's a risk they're willing to take.
"We're here to announce a 50-state strategy to ensure that the president loses the upcoming election," he said. "The president betrayed us because he violated the value of dignity and life."
Abdel Salam said "the lesser of two evils is not a package that the people can support" and told the media that "there is no greater" than a "policy of death."
The Biden campaign has not commented on this effort. On Friday, the Biden Administration bypassed Congress to approve an emergency weapons sale to Israel as it continues its war against Hamas in Gaza.
A recent Associated Press article reported that advocates who helped Biden win in 2020 are expecting to have a hard time generating similar support in 2024 among voters of color and younger voters.
A December poll, conducted by the Associated Press and the University of Chicago-based National Opinion Research Center (NORC), found that only 33% of nonwhite adults under the age of 45 approved of Biden's job performance.
On Saturday, Abdel Salam said the coalition would support an independent candidate — and not Donald Trump.
"This is an American movement that has just begun," he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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