Ritu Jha-
“The only person who can stand up to China is Donald Trump,” says Shalabh Kumar, a staunch supporter of the former US President. “He can do that because he is not a politician, and his only interest is to Make America Great Again.”
Kumar, 73, is a Chicago-based industrialist and the founder of the Republican Hindu Coalition, which works for converting Indian-Americans into a powerful voting bloc for the GOP.
He spoke to indica over the phone a couple of days after Trump announced a fresh bid for the presidency in 2024 at his plush Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. “I was with him until 1 am,” Kumar said. “Trump says, ‘Bharat and America sabse achhe dost’.”
Kumar loyalty towards Trump and the Republican Party is the stuff of legend in the Indian American community. “He is the only man that can save democracy in the US, India, and the UK, and even some of the European nations. They are all concerned they will be taken over by China.”
He is writing a book on China’s dominance in world politics and business, he told indica. “It will be called ‘Chinese Colonization of America’. The only man who can stop this is Trump.”
He said that India’s Prime minister Narendra Modi and the UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will have to play a significant role in stopping China. Kumar said that for China, it does not matter whether the US government is Republican or Democrat, they make a 10-20-year plan to take over the US.
Modelled after the Republican Jewish Coalition, the Republican Hindu Coalition (RHC) was founded in 2015 and had raised millions for Trump during his 2016 campaign. This time round, RHC wants to raise over $20 million.
Kumar said he supports Trump despite his “turning off” a few people by his direct and sometimes brusque social media messaging, “but policy-wise there is no comparison.” He said he made a few recommendations to Trump for his campaign. “I am a big proponent of a photo ID and same-day voting and he agrees with that,” Kumar told indica.
Kumar defended Trump on immigration stating that the former President is “not anti-immigrant.” He said Trump “favors skilled workers” and would be “working on DALCA” as well.
He said Trump believes in Senator Rand Paul’s Believe Act which can reduce the Green Card wait time from 15 years to just three years. “Trump has gotten Deferred Action Legal Childhood Arrivals (DALCA) children that have legally arrived in the US with their parents as well. I am hopeful.”
Adding on said when asked on his previous term as president, Kumar said that on H1-B there has been some fraud and he has tightened some rules on H1B.
Meet Donald Trump’s biggest Indian American supporter: Shalabh Kumar
