Washington: The First Family of the United States is in love with India, US President Donald Trump indicated as he noted that both his daughter Ivanka and son Donald Trump Jr “think a lot about India”. “I know India and I understood those young people (Donald Trump Jr and Ivanka) that you mentioned. They're very good young people. And I know their relationship to India is very good and so is mine,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
The president, who describes himself as the “best friend ever” of India and Indian-Americans in the White House, was responding to a question about the role the three important members of his family are going to play in the 2020 election cycle with respect to the Indian-American community.
“Would Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump, who are very popular among Indian-Americans, be campaigning on your behalf among the Indian-Americans?” the president was asked.
“I appreciate the nice sentiments. They (Don Jr and Ivanka) think a lot of India and so do I. And think a lot of your prime minister (Narendra Modi),” Trump said in response to the question.
In the 2016 elections, the Trump family had reached out to the Indian-American community, particularly in the battleground states of Virginia, Pennsylvania and Florida where both Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr along with his other son Eric and daughter-in-law Lara Trump held meetings with the community members and visited Hindu temples.
Ivanka was the first member of the Trump family to take a trip to India after Trump came to power. She led a high-powered US delegation to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in India in 2017.
Donald Trump Jr, who is heading the re-election campaign, has also made trips to India. Last December, he held a special book-launch event for the Indian-American community in Long Island.
“A key advantage in battleground states could secure 2020 for Trump,” Don Jr said in a tweet last month. He along with his girlfriend Kimberley Guilfoyle, who is national chair of Trump Victory Finance Committee, have been instrumental in the campaign, maintaining a close relationship with the Indian-American community.
The two quite often tweet about the key role that the Indian-American community can play in the battleground states. On India's Independence Day on August 15, Donald Trump Jr had tweeted: "Sending Best Wishes to India on its Independence Day."
"Congratulations to India who is celebrating their 74th Independence Day and to all those Indian-Americans who now call the USA home. The bond between our countries is stronger than it has ever been as we share a deep appreciation for family, peace, and prosperity," Kimberly said in tweet greeting India on its Independence Day.
“America enjoys a great relationship with India and our campaign enjoys great support from Indian Americans!,” she said about a fortnight ago, releasing the first video commercial of the Trump Campaign targeting Indian Americans.
Titled ‘Four More Years’, the 107-second video starts with the iconic footage of Modi and Trump walking hand-in-hand at the NRG Stadium in Houston during his visit to the US last year wherein the leaders of the two largest democracies of the world made their joint address before a strong crowd of Indian-Americans numbering more than 50,000.
Amidst cheering of thousands of his supporters in the US, Modi is seen as saying that Trump needs no introduction and that his name comes up in almost every conversation. “He is the president of the United States of America Mr Donald Trump,” the prime minister says at the start of the video, that has been conceptualised by Al Mason, co-chair of the Trump Victory Indian American Finance Committee.
It is well known that Modi is highly popular among Indian Americans. His star appeal has attracted record crowd, hitherto unknown for a foreign leader, on the American soil. Starting with his address at the Madison Square Garden in 2015 and then in the Silicon Valley two years later, both attracting more than 20,000 people, Modi is perhaps the only foreign leader in recent memory to have addressed such huge rallies in the US.
His ‘Howdy, Modi’ address in Houston last September was attended by a record 50,000 people. Trump made a solo trip to Houston to join him in the addressing the historic rally.
While Modi introduces Trump to the crowd whom he addressed as “my family”, the second part of the commercial has clips form Trump's historic address in Ahmedabad this February.
“America loves India. America respects India. And America will always be faithful and loyal friend to the Indian people,” Trump is seen as saying in the commercial in which he praises the contribution of four million Indian Americans. “They are truly spectacular people,” the president said.
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