Indian-American support for Donald Trump may change after Republican Hindu Coalition faux pas.
At a time when recent scandals have tilted the scales against the Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump decided to attempt tapping a new potential voter block—Indian-Americans. Statistics indicate almost 70 percent of Indian Americans will be voting for Democrat Hillary Clinton instead of Trump. Despite this, Trump knew had no choice but to try his luck with the community, especially since he lost favor with evangelical Americans, who were once his major source of support.
Are Indian-American Hindus Really Going to Vote for Trump?[/tweetthis]
However, most of the Indian-Americans are not impressed by Trump. If anything, the Republican seems to have become more unpopular with the community. One of the biggest mistakes Trump made was during the Humanity United Against Terrorism event when he referred to Indians as 'Hindus', as if all Indians practice Hinduism. Trump also said he’s a big fan of “Hindu” as if Hindu is a God to be worshipped.
— Michele Posadas (@ZeroCharisma) October 20, 2016
The cringiest of all rallies. https://t.co/COWyBK6bGi
— Leeya (@Soul_Dignified) October 19, 2016
Some of the most idiotic things I ever saw for political campaigns. https://t.co/D5iTau0h3F
— S.M. Huq (@SMHuq) October 19, 2016
Trump doesn’t seem to understand not all Indians follow Hinduism. India has a long history of religious diversity, followers of the 'Hindu' way of life, Buddhism, Jainism, Christianity, Islam and even others such as Judaism, Zoroastrianism and the Baha’i Faith. Trump's repeated reference to all Indians as 'Hindus' has made many heads shake in disappointment.His praise of India’s controversial Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and attempts to draw parallels between himself and the Indian Prime Minister did little to help.
Ironically, the few Indians who did attend the event seemed to be excited about Trump's promises to grant them American citizenship faster, even though Trump had previously called for tougher laws on immigration.
The Indian supporters of Trump say the biggest reason they feel Trump should be President is because they share the same opinion on “radical Islamic terror.”
Resources
- The Washington Post
- Huffington Post
- The Guardian
- World Religion News – “23-year-old Hillary Clinton Interview Gives Insight About Her Faith”
- World Religion News – “Evangelical Support for Trump Is Divided After Video Leak”
- World Religion News – “What Do You Know About the Oldest Monotheistic Religion?”