LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Donald Trump is set to visit Dearborn, Michigan — the the largest Arab-majority city — Friday, according to a local business owner who first insisted that the former president call for peace in Lebanon before welcoming him.

Metro Detroit is home to the nation’s largest concentration of Arab-Americans, a large portion of whom live in Dearborn. The city — which President Joe Biden won by a 3-to-1 margin — has been rocked by political unrest, with many people unhappy with the Biden administration’s handling of the war between Israel and Hamas.

As Vice President Kamala Harris works on substitutes to facilitate Due to community tensions, Trump’s visit will be the first by either candidate, according to local leader Osama Siblani. Earlier this year, Harris met with the city’s Democratic mayor, Abdullah Hammoud, although their discussion took place outside Dearborn.

Sam Abbas, the owner of the Great Commoner in Dearborn, told the Associated Press that Trump was about to visit his restaurant.

“We are waiting for remarks on ending the war and establishing peace in the Middle East,” Abbas said. “I am not here to play politics. I’m not here to tell people which way I vote. I’m here just because our family is being massacred and we just want to end the war. Stop the bombing.

Israel invaded Gaza after the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, and last month launched an invasion of Lebanon to suppress Hezbollah, the militia that continually launches rockets into Israeli territory. At least 43,000 people have died in Gaza, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its toll.

The Trump campaign declined to comment on the visit. This follows Trump’s rally in Michigan last week, when he brought local Muslims on stage with him. Trump also received support from two Democratic mayors of majority-Muslim cities.

While many Democratic leaders in the community have not Harris approvedthey remain deeply negative toward Trump and say his support does not reflect the majority of the community. They also remember his call for a “total and complete halt” to Muslims entering the country and his travel restrictions on visitors from Muslim-majority countries. And some point out that Trump has suggested he will give Israel even more leeway to attack its rivals in the region.

Even so, Democrats worry that traditionally loyal voters will turn to Trump or third-party candidates like Jill Stein — or skip the top of the ballot altogether. That could prove crucial in Michigan, a state that both sides view as a toss-up.

Abbas said Trump’s allies contacted him several weeks ago about hosting Trump in Dearborn. Before welcoming Trump, Abbas said he wanted to see a statement from Trump that he said showed Trump “intends to end the war and help us rebuild Lebanon and help the displaced and the wounded.

The statement came Wednesday, when Trump posted on X that he wanted to “end the suffering and destruction in Lebanon.”

“I will preserve the equal partnership among all Lebanese communities,” Trump said on X. “Your friends and family in Lebanon deserve to live in peace, prosperity and harmony with their neighbors, and that cannot happen with peace and stability in the Middle East.”

Once Trump issued this statement, Abbas said he agreed to host the event. He expects nearly 100 people from the community.

“He comes to us to say, listen, I did what you asked me. My intentions, my true intentions are to bring peace and end the war,” Abbas said.

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Associated Press writer Jill Colvin in New York contributed to this report.