Trump wants to be 'dictator', won't be good for ties with India: Congressman Shri Thanedar on US polls

Indian-American US Congressman Shri Thanedar cautioned against the prospects of Donald Trump presidency, while highlighting the former president's denial of last election results and the potential impact his sanctions can have on the India-US ties.

He further underscored the importance of the Indian-American vote in the upcoming US Presidential elections, while noting the growing support for Kamala Harris in the crucial swing state of Michigan. Speaking to ANI, Shri Thanedar said, "Trump has won Michigan in 2016 so it is very close but we are starting to see some momentum, especially women, young people, people of colour, African Americans...have started moving towards Kamala Harris...Trump has insulted many of these groups, all of which are causing some migration."

Speaking on the voting pattern of the Indo-American community, the US Congressman said that though the community tends to lean Democrat, they represent a diverse community with varied perspectives on social, economic, and immigration issues.

He also said that while Vice President Kamala Harris is "pro-democracy" and "pro-women rights", Trump has made controversial remarks against immigrants and favours wealthy corporates. "Indian-Americans are not a monolithic society, there are different viewpoints, social, economic and migration issues...it is very important that they study the two candidates as there is a night and day difference between them...Kamala Harris is pro-democracy, pro-women rights...but Donald Trump has been very hateful towards immigrants in the past and he favours the wealthy and large corporations," he further said.

The Indian-American Congressman also slammed the former president for not accepting the 2020 election results and over his conduct following his loss, which led to severe uproar in the country eventually leading to January 6 Capitol Riots.

"He (Donald Trump) did not accept his loss in the last election.... he encouraged the crowd to be hostile towards members of the Congress... Trump wants to be a dictator, he has no respect for democracy...we worry about it...if there is a tie then Congress will have to step in and make a decision on who will be the President...there is always a chance that Trump will encourage violence and deny a democratic outcome," Thanedar warned.

Shri Thanedar further emphasised that Trump's return to power might have negative impact on the India-US relations, especially through the imposition of sanctions. "If Trump becomes the President, he will enforce tariffs on countries like India and China, these tariffs will raise consumer prices. It is estimated that each person over a period of time may end up paying USD 4000 more out of their pockets...so Trump won't be good for US-India relations," he noted.The US Presidential Elections are set to take place on November 5, with Vice President Kamala Harris going against former US President and Republican candidate Donald Trump.

Former US President Donald Trump is aiming to make a comeback to the White House after his bitter exit last time, while Vice President Kamala Harris is aiming to create history by becoming the first woman president of the US.

Even after three months of intense campaigning, almost all polls show a tight race between Trump and Harris, with a very close margin between the two.