Donald Trump’s racist slur against Sikhs got him a lot of flak from Indians around the world. Later, he went on to blame India for ‘taking away jobs from Americans’. But now a group of Indian Americans have come out in support of Trump.
Forums have been created on Facebook and Twitter namely ‘Hindus for Trump’ and ‘Indian Americans for Trump 2016’ by Indian supporters. The forum ‘Hindus for Trump’ has even dared to depict Trump as the Indian God, Vishnu.
The Facebook page of Hindus For Trump. (Photo: Facebook)
‘Hindus for Trump’ now has over 400 followers on Facebook and groups such as these are generating considerable interest. The treasurer and spokesperson for ‘Indian-Americans for Trump 2016’, Dave Makkar claims Trump has been misinterpreted. Here are excerpts from his conversation with The Quint explaining why his group is supporting Trump:
Dave Makkar, treasurer and spokesperson for ‘Indian-Americans for Trump 2016’. (Photo: Dave Makkar)
Donald Trump has come under fire for insulting the Sikh community and blaming India for loss of employment in United States? Why have you created a Forum to support him?
Trump is right about Americans losing manufacturing jobs, what is left in America are low paying jobs. Donald Trump wants to bring manufacturing back to USA…Donald Trump never called the Sikh Turban a hat. The views of Trump about minority communities have been twisted and taken out of contest. A group of Sikhs in Washington DC, Maryland have formed an organization under the banner ‘American-Sikhs for Trump’. ‘Indian Americans for Trump 2016’ respects Donald Trump’s campaign finance policy to not accept money from PAC (Political Action Committee for campaigns in United States).
The Facebook page of Indian-Americans for Trump. (Photo: Facebook)
There has been a fair amount of criticism against forums such as yours on social media. What are your comments on that?
We have not come across any criticism for ‘Indian Americans for Trump 2016’, in fact people are joining our group. We want to educate and inform American voters, particularly Indian Americans about the American electoral process.
Picture Tweeted by @HindusForTrump. (Photo: Twitter)
What is the message you want to get across to Indian American voters?
Trump is conservative but not an extremist. A nation without borders is not a nation. There must be a wall across the southern border (United States’ border with Mexico). Besides family preferences, emphasis will also be given on legal immigration invited skilled or semi-skilled professionals as per the need of the United States’ economy.
#HindusforTrump has been trending on social media for several days and many have lashed out at the establishment on Twitter:
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So far, the popular belief was that Donald Trump is leading the Republican Presidential race because of the support from white supremacists in the United States. But these Indian American groups clearly prove otherwise!
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