Donald Trump Praises “Fantastic Contributions” Hindus Have Made to America

Donald Trump Praises “Fantastic Contributions” Hindus Have Made to America

Donald Trump Praises “Fantastic Contributions” Hindus Have Made to America
Video screenshot
Trump is aiming for the Indian-American vote with his comments on the Hindu community.

In a move likely calculated to capture the Indian-American vote come election day in November, the Republican nominee Donald Trump released a statement praising the Hindu community for its contributions to the U.S.A. He commented, “The Hindu community has made fantastic contributions to world civilization and to American culture and we look forward to celebrating our shared values of free enterprise, hard work, family values, and a strong American foreign policy.”

Donald Trump Praises “Fantastic Contributions” Hindus Have Made to America[/tweetthis]

There will be an Indian-American event in New Jersey in October and proceeds have already been marked as going to help global victims of terror, such as those living in Syria and other parts of the Middle East straining under ISIS control. Trump released a short video, about 25 seconds long in which he encouraged Indian-Americans to attend the event. He remarked, “Hello everyone, it is my pleasure to invite you to a Republican Hindu Coalition rally at the PNC Arts Center in New Jersey. I am very much looking forward to speaking to thousands of Indian-Americans and others about making America great again. I look forward to seeing everybody there. It would be an incredible evening.”

The Trump Campaign states that they expect to bring together Bollywood actors, dancers and singers as well as Hindu spiritual and civic leaders. The event has been organized by the Republican Hindu Coalition, founded and run by Shalabh Kumar from Illinois. Mr. Kumar expects about ten thousand people to grace the occasion. The declaration by Trump to attend the Indian-American meeting is viewed as an attempt to woo Indian-Americans into his fold. This could come in handy in close election races in states such as Virginia. Getting an upper hand in such a state with the help of the Indian-American community would get Trump closer to the Oval Office in 2017.

Indian-Americans are widely viewed to be leaning towards the Democratic candidate for President, Hillary Clinton. This claim is supported by a recent Pew Survey which indicated that Indian-Americans are more likely to vote for a Democratic candidate than a Republican. Clinton has held and also graced many fundraisers organized by Indian-Americans. These fund raisers have been closed door events. This means that Trump is the first Presidential candidate to openly attend a meeting. Clinton has hired many Indian-Americans to help manage her campaign, while Trump has appointed Kumar to his advisory committee for people from the Asia Pacific region.

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