Months ahead of the US presidential election, the co-chair for the Trump Victory Indian-American Finance Committee and Indian Voices for Trump, Al Mason, has asserted that the incumbent US president has struck the right chord with India by standing up to China and not interfering in the Kashmir conflict.
"Trump has never interfered in the internal affairs of India -- Kashmir -- which is an integral part of India. No other US President has stood up to China as much as President Trump has", Al Mason said, highlighting that Kashmir is a sensitive issue for India.
While the United States has been in a long-drawn out trade war with China which worsened during the coronavirus pandemic, as Trump has repeatedly accused the Chinese government of failing to provide information about the virus in a timely manner, Indo-China ties themselves also soured after a bitter clash between troops in the Ladakh region along the Line of Actual Control on 15-16 June. Offering to mediate between the two sides, Trump spoke of "Chinese aggression".
With the US election just months away, Trump's campaign team claims to be enjoying strong support from Indians while his opponent Joe Biden also says he would favour better relations with India.
The Trump Victory Indian-American Finance Committee has formed several coalitions, including Indian Voices for Trump, to reach out to the Indian-American and South Asian community in the US.
The coalitions include "Hindu Voices for Trump" and "Sikhs for Trump" that aim to engage and mobilise the community members for the elections.
The move comes after Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden named Indian-American US Senator Kamala Harris as the party's vice-presidential candidate.
With an eye on the Indian-American votes, Trump's campaign team claimed that the unemployment rate among the Indian community had dropped under Trump.
The statement comes despite POTUS signing an executive order to ban coveted H-1B visas - Indians being one of the biggest beneficiaries - till the end of the 2020, in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The provisions were later relaxed.
Harmeet Kaur Dhillon, co-chair for Indian Voices for Trump, said the warmth between the two countries would continue for the next four years.
During his two-day visit to India for the “Namaste Trump” event on 24 and 25 February, the US President said that America loved India and would always be faithful and loyal to Indians.
