Posted on 12/17/2016 7:41:04 AM PST by Jyotishi
United States President-elect Donald Trump has acknowledged the contribution of Indian-Americans in his electoral triumph, saying his victorious campaign did "great with the Hindus".
IMAGE: US President-elect Donald Trump attends a stop on his 'USA Thank You Tour 2016' at the Orlando Amphitheater at the Central Florida Fairgrounds. Photograph: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
"We have a lot of people here tonight from the Indian community, Hindus. We did great with the Hindus," Trump said while addressing thousands of his supporters during a "Thank You" rally in Orlando, Florida, the key battle ground state where he emerged victorious.
The event in Florida, which has a sizeable Indian-American population, was attended by a large number of community members. This is for the first time that Trump has acknowledged the contribution of Indian-Americans and Hindus in his historic electoral victory.
"Where are they? We have a big group. There they are. I want to thank you. You folks were amazing. They were amazing and voted and they were fantastic," Trump said, pointing his fingers to the Indian-American community present at the rally.
Fortnight before the elections, Trump attended a charity event organised by Republican Hindu Coalition to raise funds for Hindu victims of terror in Kashmir and Bangladesh.
This was for the first time a presidential candidate attended an Indian-American event.
In his address, Trump pledged to work for betterment of India-US relationship and said he would be the best friend of India in the White House. He praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his economic reforms and steps that he has taken to remove bureaucratic red tape.
After Trumps address, his family members visited temples in both Florida and Virginia; a first time for a presidential campaign.
The Trump Campaign also released an advertisement in which he was seen saying "Aab Ki Baar Trump Sarkar", copying Modis historic 2014 election punchline.
Republican Hindu Coalition chairman Shalabh Salli Kumar said all this had an impact on voting pattern of Indian-Americans, who traditionally have been a strong Democratic supporters.
Based on a survey, Kumar said more than 60 per cent of the community members voted for Trump this time.
IMAGE: In his address, Trump pledged to work for betterment of India-US relationship and said he would be the best friend of India in the White House. He praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his economic reforms and steps that he has taken to remove bureaucratic red tape. Photograph: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
In his address, Trump asked people to dream big.
"Dream big and bold and daring. I am asking you to believe in yourself and asking you to believe in America. Together we will make America great again," he said.
Trump reiterated his plan of extreme vetting of refugee, asylum and visa applicants seeking to enter the US from regions where terrorists have strongholds. He said his administration will suspend immigration from some regions where applicants "cannot be safely processed or vetted" due to a lack of government records.
Pledging to keep Islamic terrorists "the hell out of our country", Trump said the attack on Pulse Nightclub in Orlando was the worst mass shooting in American history and the deadliest assault on the LGBTQ community in American history.
"We have seen Islamic terror attacks from Paris to Belgium to San Bernardino. One after other, again and again. We are going to stop it. Let me state this as clearly as I can: I am going to keep radical Islamic terrorists the hell out of our country," Trump said.
Trump also thanked the large Cuban community in Florida.
"America will also stand with the Cuban people in their long struggle for freedom. And I want to appreciate -- I tell you what, their support has been unbelievable," he said.
"The Cuban people -- we know what we have to do and we will do it so do not worry about it. The numbers -- the numbers have been incredible.
"In fact, they gave me just prior to the election, the Bay of Pigs award and, that was a great honour for me," Trump said, referring to the endorsement he received from Miami- based veterans who fought in the Bay of Pigs invasion in October, the first such endorsement from the group in its more than 50-year history.
Trump would do well to drop the world “the” when referring to specific groups. It has a connotation of otherness.
He’s been smackin’ ‘em out of the park at these Thank You rallies.
Except for that pesky little "cow" thing.
Asian Indians are good businessmen, professionals and scientists. They are another American success story.
A little observation that will GO A LONG WAY.
Alas... Indians I know voted more like New Jersians.
This PC stuff is old. If they aren't satisfied with simply "Americans", maybe they should return to the land of their ancestors.
Trump has learned to curry favor with those who favor curry.
also, Hindus from south Asia have an extremely low opinion of muslims - and this goes back to before the wave of muslim terrorism these past twenty years.
Maybe... it could also indicate an objective approach when accounting for the political support of particular demographics, and he’d as readily say “the white people.”
I don’t think Hindus took umbrage here, though.
Those who are of dreams and means enough to want to come to the USA also tend to embrace more noble philosophies in that highly spiritually aware faith. They would not be as likely to be fooled by the pretend philanthropy of Hillary.
This spiritual bent also makes it possible to share evidences and witnesses of Jesus Christ with them today, even though those are distinct belief systems. I would aver that Donald is one such evidence, though subtle. Mike Pence is more forthright about it. There is a Jewish account, I believe, that one of Abraham’s sons brought an awareness of what the Hebrews were later to know as Jehovah, to the regions of India. This showed up in Hinduism as the concept of the supreme deity Brahman, however without all the features of Abrahamic faith, such as the rejection of idols. Discomfort with idols was to later drive the formation of Buddhism, which however retained its own ideas of Brahman. I would aver in both cases that this Brahman is a distant picture of Jehovah, leaving both faiths influenced by the line of faith which was going to flower into both Judaism and Christianity, and making them oddly copacetic with western notions.
badoom tish!
We never say that to “Irish Americans.” But that’s because they never tried to be more Irish than Americans, once over here.
I don’t care for the hyphenated American expression either. Makes it seem like the person is only half American, but maybe that’s the object of the PC crowd. If it’s necessary at all, I’d prefer “American of xyz origin”.
Although I can tell you this - that young college educated South Asian females did not vote for Trump - they went for Hillary. You can see them in the photos from the Hillary rallies. They tend to be radicalized to the Left and Social Justice Warrior attitudes they learned at the expensive American universities they attended. However, their parents, especially the men folk voted for Trump. Muslims Indians/Paks/Arab in America are an entirely different animal - they voted against Trump.
I think he was pointing out, somewhat subtly,, that the Indians who are Hindus supported him while Indians who are Muslims did not. India’s population is now about 50/50. Hindu Indians have been suffering at the hands of their Muslim countrymen for a long time. THEY knew damned well what he was referring to.
Very true.
Just do like Perot and call them, “You People.”
“Trump has learned to curry favor with those who favor curry.”
Consider the line stolen. It will be posted and re-posted on the Interwebs over and over again. Confessing to plagiarism in advance.
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