Friday, December 19, 2025
ADVT 
Interesting

Why Do Indian-Americans Support Clinton Over Trump?

IANS, 17 Oct, 2016 01:41 PM
    The Indian-Americans largely support Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton because of the unique relationship she has built with the community and India, according to one of her major backers.
     
    "Historically, Indian-Americans, like other Asian Americans and a lot of other immigrant groups, have been big supporters of the Democratic Party," Frank Islam, an India-born entrepreneur and philanthropist told IANS.
     
    "It has been more inclusive and more welcoming toward all immigrants," he said, adding "I doubt any other American politician has been able to build the kind of relationship with the Indian American community - and India as Clinton."
     
    "Additionally she has been a champion of the middle class for decades," Islam said. 
     
    "As President, she wants to provide better health care and better jobs for all Americans."
     
    "Hillary has been a staunch ally of India and she recognised that Indian-Americans have enabled the US to be a stronger and healthier nation," he added.
     
     
    Roughly 70 per cent Indian-Americans plan to vote for Hillary Clinton compared with 7 per cent for her Republican rival Donald Trump, according to most recent polls cited by the Washington Post.
     
    "I am a big fan of Hindu and a big fan of India," Trump told a rally organised by the Republican Hindu Coalition in Edison, New Jersey over the weekend.
     
    He also praised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a "great man", saying the two nations would be "best friends" and "there won't be any relationship more important to us".
     
    "Indian-Americans, as a community, have shunned Donald Trump, and rightfully so," asserted Islam. 
     
    But he conceded that "Trump has touched the nerve of angry and uneducated white working class voters."
     
    "His message on job losses is resonating with these people," he said, adding "Clinton is making every effort to reach out to this demography."
     
    "With her strong economic message, I am confident she will succeed converting a significant section of this group to her side."
     
    Islam was also confident that Clinton will offer "true friendship" to India and "take the US-India relations to the next level".
     
     
    Noting that "since 1992, the US-India relations have gotten better and better under every president, whether a Democrat or Republican," he said. "I have no doubt that the ties will continue to be nurtured under a Clinton administration."
     
    "There will be focus on trade and economic partnership, on cooperation in the area of defence and counter-terrorism, and on climate change and other global issues," Islam said noting there is bipartisan support for India in the US.
     
    Islam, who is on Hillary Clinton's national finance committee, found it hard to say how much money the community has raised for the Clinton campaign, but he himself is on pace to raise close to $1 million for it.
     
    Republican Hindu Coalition's founder, Shalabh Kumar, is one of rival Trump's biggest fundraisers, according to the Washington Post.
     
    Together with his immediate family, Kumar has given almost $2 million to super political action committees that support Trump, it said.

    MORE Interesting ARTICLES

    Ludhiana: Now A Selfie Campaign To Encourage People To Use Toilets

    Ludhiana: Now A Selfie Campaign To Encourage People To Use Toilets
    To make the Swachh Bharat Mission successful and encourage people to use clean toilets, the Ludhiana District Administration has started the “Selfie with my Shauchalya” campaign.

    Ludhiana: Now A Selfie Campaign To Encourage People To Use Toilets

    2 Indians, 1 Indian-American Among 17 UN Young Leaders

    2 Indians, 1 Indian-American Among 17 UN Young Leaders
    Trisha Shetty, 25, is the founder and CEO of 'SheSays', a platform she launched last year to educate, rehabilitate and empower women to take direct action against sexual assault in India.

    2 Indians, 1 Indian-American Among 17 UN Young Leaders

    Montreal Company Begins Sales Of Smart Technology Sports Bra That Coaches Runners

    Montreal Company Begins Sales Of Smart Technology Sports Bra That Coaches Runners
    OMbra contains sensors that read biometric signals such as heart rate, movement and breathing rhythms, which are streamed to an app that coaches runners to obtain optimal results.

    Montreal Company Begins Sales Of Smart Technology Sports Bra That Coaches Runners

    Nearly Half Of Single Men And Women In Japan Are Virgins

    Nearly Half Of Single Men And Women In Japan Are Virgins
    Almost half of Japan's single men and women between ages 18 to 34 have never had sex, reveal results of a new survey.

    Nearly Half Of Single Men And Women In Japan Are Virgins

    This 'Rockstar Monk' Is Crooning Songs Of Gender Equality

    This 'Rockstar Monk' Is Crooning Songs Of Gender Equality
    There is a "rockstar monk" crooning the song of gender equality and harmony, of saving the Himalayas for the future -- cycling down the treacherous mountains and preaching another religion.

    This 'Rockstar Monk' Is Crooning Songs Of Gender Equality

    Ex-Roommate Of Facebook Founder Becomes Rabbi In Israel

    Ex-Roommate Of Facebook Founder Becomes Rabbi In Israel
      Arie Hasit finally achieved his dream this month when, after years studying Jewish texts and passing a final exam, he was ordained at the Schechter Rabbinical Seminary in Jerusalem.

    Ex-Roommate Of Facebook Founder Becomes Rabbi In Israel