I've been reading a lot of the posts prior to the election about the seemingly overwhelming support for Donald Trump among the people posting on the forum and have to admit I was pretty saddened by it. I will preface this all by saying I am not Indian and wasn't raised Hindu. I was born in Florida and grew up in a Christian family, but over close to 2 decades have found deep meaning in Indian religion/philosophy. So, maybe I don't fully understand some of the policy decisions that are affecting the backing of Donald Trump. However, what I don't get is how any spiritual, or religious person could back Donald Trump. I don't understand how the Christian community does it and I even more so don't understand how the Hindu community does. He is a completely egocentric person who only cares about himself and will say and do anything for attention and power. Just look at how he is handling losing, by trying to throw the very essence of democracy out the window. I don't mean to come off rude, but I truly would like to see how decent people with ethics support a man like Trump.
top of page
bottom of page
I think people should vote for those who are better for them. For example, I earn money on https://bitpowermining.com with mining cryptocurrency so I vote for those who see prospects in cryptocurrency
Your title pretty much answers the question. Many Hindu Americans stopped caring about Trump's rough personality and looked at the merits/outcomes of his policies. Many of us voted against the Democratic party and the left-wing groups/media that supports them, and their nonsensical radical policy positions as a whole rather than affirmatively supporting Trump or the Republican party/policy positions. Some issues that helped swing voters over to the other side: Foreign Policy Whatever any president or presidential candidate may promise domestically, it's a fact that the Commander-in-Chief holds the most power over foreign policy. In this regard, Trump's good relationship with the beloved Prime MInister of India (Narendra Modi), staying out of India's internal affairs, aggressive stance against a China's belligerent territorial ambitions, and not pandering to radical Islamists went a long way in swaying many Hindu Americans towards Trump. The likes of Ilhan Omar, Pramila Jayapal, AOC, and the Squad who consistently whitewash the atrocities of Islamic terror and pander to fundamentalist Islamist groups (e.g. CAIR) really rubs Indians the wrong way. Case in point is this group's characterization of the Pakistan-trained Kashmir terror outfits as "freedom fighters" and Indian security forces as "invaders". Americans know Islamic terror starting in 2001; Hindus have experienced it for a millennium. Seattle and Minneapolis/St.Paul's city councils actually had the gall to pass a resolution against a democratically passed Indian Law (Citizenship Amendment Act) Most of us have a ton of family in India and their safety is important to us. The Democratic party's foreign policy stances, including an uncomfortable coziness between Biden family and China, didn't seem the best way to ensure their safety. If you think Biden is less corrupt than Trump, just read Ch.1 of Peter Schweizer's "Profiles in Corruption".
Affirmative Action Indian American immigrants, including Hindu Americans, came from a foreign culture and many became successful by embracing the ethos of America that hard work will reward you. Their socioeconomic success (highest education levels and incomes, low incarceration rates, etc) validates this approach to American life. We put great effort in our jobs, are frugal to an unbelievable extent, pay huge amounts of tax revenue, and are generally law-abiding. We want to pass on this success to their children, who we push to excel in academics from a young age. Democrats' embrace of affirmative action has already hurt many hardworking, successful Indian American students, along with their unholy obsession with critical race theory threatens to further erode parents' ability to secure a successful future for their kids. This article, and similar stories, should help you get some perspective: 1 - https://quillette.com/2020/09/23/rallying-to-protect-admissions-standards-at-americas-best-public-high-school/ 2 - https://reason.com/volokh/2020/11/16/school-district-decides-asians-arent-students-of-color/ 3 - https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/13/yale-illegally-discriminates-against-white-and-asian-students-justice-department-says.html Religion & Identity Trump is by no means an embodiment of Hindu dharma or our beliefs. Unlike many Democratic politicians, he and his party don't lecture us with "holier-than-thou" attitudes or try to demonize our religion at the behest of special interest groups (e.g. CAIR, Pakistani American diaspora). Simultaneously, the vitriol agianst Tulsi Gabbard by going after her Hindu faith certainly didn't endear me to the democrats. We believe in live and let live; the Democrats don't seem to when it comes to certain religions. Biased reporting by left-wingers and support from Democrats on the matters in the articles below also inflames many Hindu Americans against against the Democrats by association: https://www.npr.org/2020/10/14/923736245/caste-arrives-in-silicon-valley https://www.hindueducation.org/hindu-americans-win-historic-victory-in-california-textbooks/
Economy Let's face it. He did an amazing job with the economy, and the momentum would have continued had it not been for COVID-19. Even with COVID-19, it's making a strong rebound.
I'd be willing to bet that many non-Indian Asian Americans supporting Trump would find resonance with at least a few of the above points. The points above are reflective of my conversations with many other 0th and 1st Indian Americans. Hope this helps.