Indian Americans hail Donald Trump’s victory, say he is a ‘strong leader’

Say the country needs a leader like him who will deliver on his promises to tame inflation and curtail illegal immigration

New York: Members of the Indian-American community welcomed Donald Trump‘s victory in the US presidential election, saying the country needs a “strong leader” like him who will deliver on his promises to tame inflation and curtail illegal immigration.

In a historic election, Trump defeated his Democratic rival Vice President Kamala Harris and was elected the 47th President of the United States, becoming only the second commander-in-chief in over a century to win two nonconsecutive presidential terms. Before Trump, it was Grover Cleveland who had served two nonconsecutive terms as President from 1885-1889 and 1893-1897.

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With his electoral victory, Trump also became the first convicted felon and twice-impeached to be elected President. However, Trump’s criminal cases, his rhetoric or baggage from his previous tenure as President, including the January 6, 2021 riots at the US Capitol, had little impact on voters’ decision to rally behind him and give him a second stint in the White House.

The support for Trump was evident among members of the Indian-American community. “Trump is a strong leader. The country needs strong leadership,” prominent Indian-American cardiologist and community leader Dr Avinash Gupta said.

“We have seen what Trump did for four years, and then we saw the Biden-Harris administration for four years. The difference was very clear,” Gupta said. Gupta highlighted that during Trump’s first presidency, the economy was in good shape, there were no new wars, he was good for India-US friendship and the borders were secure.

Gupta added that because of the wars going on in Ukraine and in the Middle East, “we need a strong leader who can put an end to all these wars and achieve global peace. We know that Trump is not a typical politician, so only he will be able to achieve this.” Earlier this year, Trump had pledged to end Ukraine’s war with Russia after its President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reached out to the former US president to congratulate him on his Republican presidential nomination.

“… I, as your next President of the United States, will bring peace to the world and end the war that has cost so many lives and devastated countless innocent families. Both sides will be able to come together and negotiate a deal that ends the violence and paves a path forward to prosperity,” Trump had said.

“Definitely, I think if somebody can stop the war, Trump can stop the war,” Gupta said. Trump had also vowed that if he returns to the White House, “inflation will vanish completely”. Deepa, an Indian-American small business owner in the White Plains area of New York, said she voted for Trump in the election.