Donald Trump called Prime Minister Modi a ‘great leader’ and a ‘great person’ (Archive)
Washington:
Highlighting the great relationship he has developed with Indian-Americans and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Donald Trump said he would think that Indian-Americans will vote for him in the November 3 presidential election. .
“We have great support from India. We have great support from Prime Minister Modi. I think the Indian (American) people would vote for Trump,” the president told reporters at a press conference at the White House.
Trump was responding to a question in a video titled “Four More Years” posted by the Trump Campaign during the Republican National Convention last month. Tweeted by Kimberly Guilfoyle, National Chair of the Trump Victory Finance Committee and retweeted by her son Donald Trump Jr, the video conceptualized by Al Mason, co-chair of the Trump Victory American Indian Finance Committee, has short clips of Modi’s joint speech. -Trump in Houston last year and Ahmedabad in February this year.
“Would Kimberly, Don Jr, and Ivanka Trump, who are very popular with Indian-Americans, campaign on their behalf among Indian-Americans with their views on the relationship between India and America?” They Asked.
“I know India and I understood those young people (Kimberley, Donald J. Trump Jr and Ivanka) that you mentioned. They are very good young people. And I know that their relationship with India is very good and so is mine,” Trump said. .
The president said he has a very good relationship with Prime Minister Modi.
“Prime Minister Modi is a friend of mine and he is doing a very good job. Not easy, but he has done a very good job,” he said, recalling his historic speech at the ‘Howdy Mody’ event in Houston last September.
“We had an event in Houston, as you know. And it was a fantastic event. I was invited by Prime Minister Modi and this was a massive (event) … And it was incredible. And the Prime Minister could not have been more generous. We have Great support from India. We have great support from Prime Minister Modi, “Trump said.
The president then referred to his visit to India earlier this year in February before the coronavirus pandemic struck the two countries.
“Me too, as you know, I went to India just before the pandemic developed because India has been badly hit, I actually left a week before that, and we had an amazing time. What we saw, the people are so incredible that It’s really an amazing place, an amazing country and it is definitely great, “he said.
“But you have a great leader and he is a great person,” Trump said.
In recent weeks, both Democrats and Republicans have stepped up their outreach to the American Indian community, particularly in battle states.
A recent investigation by Mason in battlefield states showed that Indian-Americans who traditionally vote for Democrats are turning to the Republican Party in significant numbers due to Trump’s friendship with Prime Minister Modi and the great popularity of the latter among a large part of the community. That number four million in the United States, of which 2.5 million are eligible to vote.
In the battlefield states, they number 1.3 million according to a recent comment by Indian-Americans in the Democratic Party.
Mason’s poll was conducted before former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, selected Indian-born senator Kamala Harris as his running mate, a move the Democratic party leader believes would stem the flow of Indian Americans toward Republicans.
Both Trump and his campaign, in recent comments, claim that more American Indians support them than Democrats.
In various writings and comments, Democratic leaders in recent weeks have warned that Trump’s friendship with Prime Minister Modi could influence his traditional vote bank in the elections.
The Trump campaign believes that Indian-Americans can play an important role in elections, especially in battleground states like Michigan, Pennsylvania and Ohio, where the two rival campaigns would fight for every vote.
The Democratic campaign is also coming up with ideas and commercials to woo Indian Americans.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez has addressed the community virtually, where he has recognized the key role Native Americans can play in battle states.
On August 15, both Biden and Harris addressed an American Indian event on video. The campaign has released a policy document for Americans of Indian Origin.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
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