Donald Trump says Friendship with modi will help in getting Indian Votes

In a rambling response to a question aimed at highlighting his campaign's outreach to Indian-American voters (led by his son Donald Trump Jr) and draw him out on the topic, Trump seized on his friendship with Modi expressed through their joint rallies to lay claim to Indian-American voter support.

 
"We have great support from India and from Prime Minister Modi. I would think that the people of India would be voting for Donald Trump," he said, mischaracterizing Indian-American voters (it would be illegal for Indian people who are not US citizens to vote). 

Trump's son Donald Trump Jr and his partner Kimberly Guilfoyle have taken on themselves to court Indian-American voters with campaign videos highlighting the Trump-Modi rallies and dubious surveys claiming a big shift in Indian-American support away from the Democratic Party.

Academics who have worked in this area say any shift is marginal and Indian-American still trend Democratic by more than a 2/3rds margin. 

"I know India and I understood those young people (Kimberley, Donald J Trump Jr and Ivanka) that you mentioned. They're very good young people. And I know their relationship with India is very good and so is mine," Trump said, as the reporter talked up how popular they are among Indian-Americans. 

There are an estimated 1.8 million eligible Indian-American



voters in the upcoming election, with some 500,000 thought to be in key battleground states where even a few thousand voters could make a difference to the final outcome determined through the electoral college. For instance, Trump won the state of Michigan by a mere 10,000 voters in 2016, giving him the state's ten electoral votes in a winner-take-all system. 

Both major parties are making greater effort than during any other election to woo Indian-American votes. Democratic candidate Joe Biden is believed to have factored this in (among other things) in his choice of Kamala Harris as a running mate. 

Trump though has racked up talking points with his two high-profile rallies with Modi that he never ceases to gush about. 

"We had an event in Houston, as you know. And it was a fantastic event. I was invited by Prime Minister Modi and this was a massive (event)... And it was incredible. And the prime minister could not have been more generous. We have great support from India. We have great support from Prime Minister Modi," Trump said. The US President has previously claimed that he is more popular and has greater support among Indian-Americans than does Kamala Harris. 

Trump then rambled on about going to India just prior to the pandemic setting ... "and we had an incredible time. What we saw the people are so incredible it's really an incredible place, an incredible country and its definitely big." 

"But you've got a great leader and he''s a great person," Trump said, talking up his friendship with Modi and certifying "nothing's easy, but he's done a very good job."