Amer Ghalib, who leads city in battleground state of Michigan, says the Republican is the ‘right choice’, despite disagreements.

The mayor of the only city in the United States with an all-Muslim government has endorsed former President Donald Trump for November’s presidential election.

Amer Ghalib, who leads the city of Hamtramck in the crucial battleground state of Michigan, said on Sunday that the Republican candidate is a “man of principles” and “the right choice”, despite their disagreements on some issues.

“President Trump and I may not agree on everything, but I know he is a man of principles,” Ghalib said in a post on Facebook.

“Though it’s looking good, he may or may not win the election and be the 47th president of the United States, but I believe he is the right choice for this critical time. I’ll not regret my decision no matter what the outcome would be, and I’m ready to face the consequences.”

“Now, let the Caravan begin its journey,” Ghalib added. “This is just the starting point.”

Trump reposted Ghalib’s endorsement on his Truth Social platform shortly after the announcement.

Hamtramck, which has a population of about 28,000 people, made headlines in 2021 when it became the first US city to elect an all-Muslim City Council and a Muslim mayor.

Ghalib, who immigrated to the US from Yemen when he was 17, offered his support to Trump a little less than a week after meeting the Republican candidate before a town hall in the Michigan city of Flint.

Ghalib told The Detroit News last week that the pair had discussed the concerns of Arab and Muslim Americans and that Trump had requested his endorsement.

Michigan is one of seven key swing states expected to decide the outcome of November’s contest between Trump and his Democratic Party rival, Vice President Kamala Harris.

Opinion polls suggest a tight race between Trump and Harris both nationally and in battlegrounds such as Michigan.

In the most recent average of polls compiled by The New York Times, Harris leads Trump in Michigan by 50 percent to 47 percent.

Trump won Michigan in the 2016 election against Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, becoming the first Republican to prevail in the state since George HW Bush in 1988.

President Joe Biden flipped the state back to the Democrats in 2020, beating Trump by a margin of about 150,000 votes.

Muslim-American anger over the Biden administration’s support for Israel’s war on Gaza has become a concern for Democrats as they face razor-thin races in the battleground states.

In a poll released by the Council on American-Islamic Relations in August, just 12 percent of Muslim voters in Michigan expressed support for Harris, with 18 percent backing Trump and 40 percent supporting the Green Party’s Jill Stein.

On Thursday, the Uncommitted National Movement, a grassroots campaign aimed at pressuring Democrats to end their support for the war, announced that it would not endorse Harris after her team failed to meet a September 15 deadline to respond to a request for a meeting with families of Palestinians killed in Gaza.

The Michigan Wolverines improved to 3-1 on the season after a 27-24 win over the USC Trojans. Michigan will look to keep on winning against a 2-2 Minnesota Golden Gophers team that just lost 31-14 to the Iowa Hawkeyes.

The betting lines have been released and the Wolverines are currently favorites over Minnesota. Per FanDuel Sportsbook, Michigan’s currently a 12.5-point favorite with the over/under set at 40.5.

Michigan has a 71-22-2 all-time record against Minnesota and has won four in a row, with the last Minnesota win coming a decade ago in 2014, the final year of the Brady Hoke era at Michigan. Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck is 0-3 against the Wolverines with losses of 33-10 (2017), 49-24 (2020), and 52-10 (2023).

While Michigan is the favorite and matchups against Minnesota are rarely competitive, the tilt is a rivalry on paper and there’s hardware on the line, a little brown jug that dates back to 1903.

If Minnesota is able to keep the game close it’ll mean their No. 108 ranked total offense overperforms and their No. 8 total defense does their job. The Wolverines rank No. 109 in total offense and No. 55 in total defense.

The matchup is at noon Eastern time and will be broadcast on Fox.

What do you think of the spread? Let us know in the comments.

Kickoff time has been set for noon on Fox for “Big Noon Kickoff” between Michigan (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) and Minnesota (2-2, 0-1 Big Ten), which come off of very different weeks.

Michigan football is riding high after a thrilling 27-24 victory over USC to open Big Ten play while the Golden Gophers are licking their wounds after falling 31-14 in a home game against Iowa and former Michigan QB Cade McNamara.

The Wolverines win was as thrilling as it was improbable, with more swings than playground. It started out all Michigan, getting out to a quick 14-0 lead thanks to a pair of long touchdown runs from Kalel Mullings (53 yard score, more on him later) and Donovan Edwards (41 yard score). That ground control kept the defense fresh and on the sideline, then it was able to mix looks and coverages to cause problems for USC’s offense. At one point, Michigan had out-gained the Trojans 189-11 in the middle of the second quarter and it looked like it may be a rout.

USC scored a field goal late in the first half then opened the third quarter with a lengthy drive and a 9-yard third-down strike made it a four point game, however as soon as it came up with a stop and had the ball for the lead, Will Johnson came away with a 42-yard interception to go up 20-10.

MICHIGAN VS. USC GRADES: Complementary football back on display in gritty win

That was all the scoring it looked like Michigan would get as its offense stagnated. Five consecutive drives to open the second half resulted in three-and-outs or turnovers — an Edwards fumble — and the Trojans offense capitalized with two touchdown drives, including a go-ahead 24-yard touchdown strike with 7:01 to play.

But Michigan would get the last laugh. The Wolverines finished the game on a 10-play, 89-yard drive, highlighted by Mullings who ripped off a 63-yard rush on third-and-1 to go from deep in U-M’s territory to the USC red zone. Four runs, and one incompletion later, it was fourth-and-goal at the 1 and Michigan went with a heavy set and Mullings plowed in for the game-winning touchdown with 37 seconds to play.

Michigan’s defense would force a turnover on downs to end it.

Alex Orji, in his first career start, completed 7 of 12 passes for 32 yards — the fewest in a Michigan win in more than 35 years — and ran 13 times for 43 yards. Though it may not be sustainable forever, Minnesota, proved its susceptible to falling in the same way as Iowa passed for just 62 yards in its victory over the Gophers.

Michigan and Minnesota met last year in Minneapolis, with the Wolverines winning 52-7. Johnson, who set a U-M record with his third career interception return for a touchdown against the Trojans, had his first to open the scoring in last year’s romp.