An organisation representing Asian American supporters of the Republican Party has announced that it will endorse former president Donald Trump in the November presidential election, citing his policies on issues like immigration and national security.
Trump, 77, the presumptive Republican candidate will face his Democratic Party rival and incumbent US President Joe Biden, 81, in the November 5 presidential election.
“There is a general impression that most Indian Americans are Democrats. We are trying to tell that there are so many other people who are Republicans and who believe in this country, they are conservative," Hemant Bhatt, founder and chairman of the Asian American Republican Coalition, said.
"So we always try to give them a message that this is we are Republicans,” Bhatt told PTI in an interview.
The coalition was formed in New Jersey in 2018 and now it has a national presence.
The coalition, Bhatt said, has decided to endorse Trump in the national elections in November because of his stand on immigration and national security. People of the country want an end to the (ongoing Gaza and Ukraine) wars and are in favour of legal immigration, he argued.
“We are endorsing Trump's president for immigration policies. He always says that come to this country legally, don't come here illegally,” he said.
“Second, is foreign policy. We are now totally disrespected by the people in the entire (world) so many countries. People don't give us the respect they used to give us. If President Trump can go to North Korea and talk to the dictator (Kim Jong Un), if President Trump can talk to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, if President Trump can do other things, which is really good for the peace of this world. These wars could not have happened,” said Bhatt, a New Jersey-based businessman.
Another reason for endorsing Trump for the presidency he said is the worsening economy of the country, including a rise in national debt and increasing inflation, he said.
