Donald Trump described Muslims as sick people who have hatred on their minds and he proposed banning them from entering the United States.
Yet surprisingly, many people in Saudi Arabia, a nation considered the birthplace of Islam where citizens are required to be Muslim, don’t hold his words against him.
In more than a dozen interviews, residents suggested the billionaire businessman turned Republican president simply was using stinging rhetoric to appeal to supporters and defeat Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton.
He was, they say, the ultimate salesman.
“What Donald Trump said before he was president was just marketing,” Adeel Alhathlol, 38, a Riyadh businessman who imports sound systems, said through a translator. “Because he’s a businessman, he knew how to make followers. His goal is not to be racist but just to wake up people.”
Trump has largely backed off his harsh criticism of Islam since he was inaugurated in January. He even softened his tone during his two-day visit to Riyadh last week, praising Islam as “one of the world’s greatest faiths” and calling for tolerance and respect for all faiths.
If there’s one thing I have learned about American politics since he was nominated, expect the unexpected
Eman al Hafjan, 36, a university professor
Though his administration is still seeking to halt temporarily the entry into the United States of citizens from six Muslim-majority nations, many Saudis don’t consider it a Muslim ban. Of 50 or so Muslim nations, only six are included, including two of Saudi Arabia’s bitter rivals, Syria and Iran, but not Saudi Arabia, 15 of whose citizens were among the 19 9/11 hijackers.
Waheed Mohammed A. Alghamdi, 37, who works for the city of Yanbu in the western part of the kingdom, said through a translator that the reason Trump hasn’t repeated what he said about Muslims recently is because as president he needs to maintain a serious relationship with Saudi Arabia, considered the leading Muslim nation and an important partner in the fight against terrorism.
“Donald Trump is so smart to use the audience to support his campaign,” said Alghamdi, who said he was fired from being a teacher because of his outspoken views. “He’s a businessman. It doesn’t mean he’s racist. They know it’s just propaganda. He’s a smart guy.”
Trump is extremely popular with the leaders of Persian Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, who treated him like royalty during his visit. They can relate to his personality, his black-and-white outlook on life and his background running a family business – an apt description for all the Gulf nations – and they were relieved he didn’t push them to change the way they run their own countries.
In Saudi Arabia, people aren’t allowed to speak against King Salman and his government, which controls the media, forbids demonstrations and doesn’t allow for political parties or trade unions. It is likely that Trump would have faced protests upon his arrival in Riyadh had they been allowed.
Several people had agreed to interviews with McClatchy but canceled at the last minute because they said they were afraid of repercussions from the government. Those who went through with the interviews agreed to speak about American politics but not Saudi politics.
The things he said about Muslims from when he ran for president has served him to wake up all the Republicans to support him but when he won he didn’t do anything. It was marketing, smart marketing for himself
Mohammed Alhamza, 42, a social researcher and writer
Some may have said they don’t oppose Trump simply because he’s popular with their own government. Others, including those who are outspoken on social media, say they don’t mind Trump, who they never believed, or his supporters, who don’t have the power to act even if they agreed with Trump.
“I don’t think people dislike him that much,” said Eman al Hafjan, 36, a university professor in Riyadh. “I think they see him as strange, somewhat entertaining, because we have very little political participation. We are very passive, not by choice.”
Mohammed Jawad, 30, of Alahsa in the eastern part of the country, who manages international training contracts for a company owned by the government, said he has for the most part moved past what Trump said before he became president, though he remains troubled that he has not deleted all his anti-Islamic tweets.
“We are really glad that it seems different than what he said during his campaign,” he said. “But I have some questions about credibility and willingness to solve the issues.”
In recent months, Trump has acted in ways that appealed to the Saudis. He blamed Iran for devastation in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen, agreed to the largest single arms deal in U.S. history, and launched a missile strike on Syria after President Bashar Assad used chemical weapons on his own people.
During his visit, Saudis took to social media to lavish praise on his daughter, Ivanka, some of which rubbed off on Trump. One man even said he named his newborn child after her.