Washington: Indian Americans, particularly in the battleground states, are coming out in support of President Donald Trump. The US presidential elections will be conducted November 3. The votes of the Indian Americans can be a crucial factor in the results. The Indian Americans are supporting Trump due to a combination of 12 factors. Most important among which is his friendship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is according to an internal research survey conducted by Al Mason.
Trump showing respect to Indian Americans, treating India and Modi on an equal footing have made him popular, says the survey. It is now shaping the campaign’s outreach towards the community in the last 40 days.
Al Mason is co-chair of the ‘Trump Victory Indian American Finance Committee’. He said that the Trump administration, unlike the president’s predecessors and the current challenger, has not shied away from the internal affairs of India, in particular on issues like Kashmir. Also Trump has played more than a visible role in elevating India’s stature on the world stage. All these factors have made Trump very popular among Indian Americans.
“It is mostly about the Trump-Modi factor,” the survey said. “Indian Americans increasingly believe that the teamwork of Trump and Modi over the next four years will successfully checkmate China at the world stage,” it added.
In fact the stand both the US and India have adopted against China has pleased the Indian Americans.
“Trump has elevated India’s stature on the world stage. Of course, due credit also goes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his skilled policy towards the US. The India-US relationship has been rock solid. Kudos to the brilliance of both Trump and Modi for cementing the bond between India and US. His family echoes the same sentiments,” the survey stated.
“Every Indian American in the US has a family member back home like old parents, brother, sister, friend, business. They want India to be respected and protected from China. Trump provides that safety. They fear that without Trump, China would start a war with India,” the memo noted.
In many must-win battleground states, Indian Americans comprise a substantial and potentially decisive share of the electorate. There 190,000 potential voters in Florida, 1,20,000 in Michigan, 1,70,000 in Pennsylvania, 1,50,000 in Georgia and 1,65,000 in Virginia. Texas tops the list of Indian American voters with nearly 4,70,000 people.
The survey results of Mason and his team show that 50 per cent of the potential Indian American voters, the vast majority of whom have traditionally voted Democratic in the presidential elections, will defect from the Democratic Party and vote for Trump.
“This mass defection could add tens of thousands of new Trump voters in key battleground states. They could very well end up helping to secure the president’s re-election,” said the survey.
Some of the Indian Americans are openly voicing their support for Trump. “I felt excited watching Modi greet Trump and introducing him to over 1,00,000 Gujaratis as his family and 1.5 billion Indians on television. Actually, it brought tears of joy to me,” said Girish Gandhi from Florida.
“I am pleased with the accomplishments and support from Trump on Modi’s transformational bold initiatives in India. Trump has openly supported the Modi government on the Kashmir issue and abolition of Article 370. I look forward to great things to come in 2021 and beyond for both countries under the Trump-Modi leadership,” said Dr Anand Tamhankar, physician consultant and an entrepreneur in New Jersey.
Other factors such as Trump’s strong stand against China, him being a man of peace rather than throwing the country into war, America’s economic revival to the pre-COVID-19 era and his competent handling of the pandemic are driving Indian Americans towards Trump, the survey said.