Berkley Center

So far, I have restrained from commenting too much on this year’s presidential race for fear of contradicting all political knowledge I have gathered through my government major at Georgetown. What I’m really trying to say is that the fact that Donald Trump is the frontrunner for the Republican Party makes me feel like I have gained no ability in understanding the American people and their voting habits. Although I think that this man is still only a joke candidate and an unhealthy drug addiction to the U.S. media, there is no doubt that he has made an impact in the current presidential race. The most interesting thing about the whole Trump epidemic is that he has not only impacted the United States, but also India as well. From mediated academic discussions to everyday intellectual conversations, almost every time that I speak to an Indian, they ask me about Donald Trump and give me their opinions about him. 

People would assume that most of India should hate Trump. Unfortunately, as I have learned, that is not the case at all. There are actually some people here that support Trump and think that he would be good for the United States. Of course, there are those with common sense that dislike Trump and realize that his victory only means bad news for not only the United States, but the world as well. I have noticed that the Trump supporters and those who are anti-Trump are split demographically. The supporters are usually those of higher caste, higher socioeconomic status, and who are generally 40 years or older. Whereas, the adversaries come from lower castes, poorer backgrounds, and are generally under 35 years of age. The interesting thing about the age split is that almost all of the people who are younger than 35 are anti-Trump no matter the caste or socioeconomic background they have. After encountering Trump supporters in India, one can’t help but ask why this is and what the factors that drive this support for Trump are.

One of the things that drives Indian support for Trump is his potential economic relationship with India. Trump has “claimed” that he is planning to construct a lot of new buildings in India. Today, many Indians are obsessed with the economic development of their country. So, this potential business move by Trump, to them, would be a huge economic accomplishment. The problem with the infatuation with Trump’s economic vision in India is that it makes the people of India blind to his radical ideals like deporting all those who were not born in the United States back to their home countries. Many of the Indians living in the United States were not born there, so they would be deported according to Trump’s presidential platform. This economic prosperity cloud that floats around Trump dangerously blinds not only Americans but Indians from seeing the radical aspects of Trump’s platform.

Trump’s distaste toward Muslims is another factor that explains the surprising Indian support of the presidential candidate. As many people are already aware of, there is a lot of tension between Muslims and Hindus in India. Since the majority of India is Hindu, there is a lot of discrimination against Muslims. Some people even share Trump’s belief that the word “Muslim” connotes terrorism and that most Muslims are terrorists. Because of the historical tensions between Muslims and Hindus, it is obvious why some people in India would support Trump’s ideals. Again, this is a blind support that doesn’t recognize his other radical arguments.

At first thought, one would assume that India would be one of the last countries to have Trump supporters. However, as I have learned, India is home to a few of these people. I personally hope that this is because of misinterpretations of what Trump actually stands for. If that is not the case, then I can honestly say that I am disappointed but also scared for the possibility of this support rising in other countries’ people as well.