Raja Krishnamoorthi and Pramila Jayapal
Indian-American lawmakers and advocacy groups have criticised US President Donald Trump after he shared a social media post that used derogatory language about Indians and Chinese people, calling it racist and dangerous at a time of rising anti-Asian hate in USThe backlash followed the introduction of a House resolution by Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi along with Congressmen Ted Lieu and Pramila Jayapal condemning Trump’s amplification of a post by conservative radio host Michael Savage on Truth Social on April 22.According to the lawmakers, the post attacked birthright citizenship while questioning the loyalty of immigrants and invoking stereotypes aimed at Indian-Americans and Chinese-Americans. The resolution says that such rhetoric reinforces prejudice and discrimination against Asian communities in the US.The controversy erupted after Trump reposted a message on Truth Social from conservative radio host Michael Savage during a debate on birthright citizenship. The post referred to countries such as India and China as “hellholes” and questioned the loyalty of immigrants, triggering outrage among Indian-American and Chinese-American communities. One of the most criticised remarks said, “A baby here becomes an instant citizen, and then they bring the entire family in from China or India or some other hellhole on the planet.”“When President Trump amplifies racist rhetoric targeting Indian Americans and Chinese Americans, it sends a dangerous message at a time when both communities already face hate and discrimination. The President of the United States should be condemning racism, not fueling it,” Krishnamoorthi said.“For generations, Indian Americans and Chinese Americans have strengthened our communities, grown our economy, served our nation in uniform, and helped carry forward the promise of America. The President of the United States should honor those contributions and recognize that the people he demonized are every bit as American as he is,” he added.Lieu immigrated to US as a child and said Asian-Americans had historically been treated as outsiders despite their contributions to the country.“From the forced incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II to a sitting president amplifying claims that Indian and Chinese immigrants have ‘no loyalty’ to this country, the message has too often been the same: Asian Americans have been treated as perpetual foreigners, no matter where we were born, how long we’ve lived here, or how deeply we’ve contributed to this nation,” he said.He added: “I came to the United States when I was three years old and have dedicated my life to serving my community and my country. Racist, xenophobic rhetoric has no place in America. Immigrants strengthen this nation every single day, and no amount of hateful rhetoric from a racist president will ever change that.” Jayapal accused Trump and Republican leaders of using divisive rhetoric to distract from economic concerns facing Americans.“Trump, his administration, and Republicans in Congress have turned towards racism and xenophobia as a distraction from the fact that they are failing Americans, who cannot afford to put gas in their cars or food on their tables,” she said.She added: “Disgusting, hateful rhetoric like this being promoted by the President of the United States will only add fuel to the fire as anti-Asian hate is already on the rise.”The resolution has also been backed by several advocacy organisations including STOP AAPI Hate, Chinese for Affirmative Action, South Asian Network and Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC.Community leaders warned that rhetoric targeting immigrants could have real-world consequences. Cynthia Choi, co-founder of STOP AAPI Hate, said Trump’s remarks reinforced the idea that Asian-Americans were “perpetual foreigners”.“And when he singles out Chinese and Indian immigrants, he puts all Asian Americans at risk regardless of immigration status. Make no mistake, this is not about national security. It’s not about policy at all. It’s racism and xenophobia masquerading as law, and we refuse to let it stand,” she said.
