LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — President Donald Trump has tapped Dearborn Heights Mayor Bill Bazzi to serve as U.S. ambassador to Tunisia, making him the second Detroit mayor in a week Trump has nominated to an Arab nation.

In a March 11th post on Truth Social, Trump praised Bazzi, a former U.S. Marine and Ford engineer, as a “decorated” veteran with global diplomatic experience. Bazzi, 61, was appointed mayor in 2021 and later won election with 72% of the vote, according to the Detroit Free Press.

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“Bazzi worked hard during the 2024 Presidential Election to help us secure our Historic Victory,” Trump wrote. “I look forward to seeing the great things he will accomplish for our Nation.”

Bazzi, an immigrant from Lebanon, graduated from Fordson High School in Dearborn, and later served in the U.S. Marine Corps. He previously worked at Ford and Boeing, and remains active in Michigan’s Shia Muslim community.

If confirmed, Bazzi would step down as mayor before his term ends in January 2026. Under the city charter, the Dearborn Heights City Council would appoint a replacement. 

Bazzi’s nomination comes days after Trump selected Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib to serve as ambassador to Kuwait. Both mayors endorsed Trump during the 2024 campaign and participated in his Michigan rallies. Bazzi said in October 2024 that he supported Trump’s efforts to curb unauthorized immigration and criticized attacks in southern Lebanon, where he has family ties.

“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 said in a recent Facebook post.