CLEVELAND (OHIO): Around 16 Indian Americans pledged their support to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at the party's national convention in Cleveland. Real estate broker Subba Kolla, the first ever Indian American delegate from Virginia to the Republican convention, announced the votes from his state during the debate.
Sudhir Parikh, founder of the Indian American Republican Council, said, "I'm still concerned about Trump. Trump is too anti-immigrant, too anti-minority, and anti-trade. He sticks to his point of view and I'm not sure this represents the views of the Republican Party." He added, "I have not decided yet whether to vote for Trump. I'm not going to sit this election out, but I will wait for four months, until the general election, to see what emerges." Parikh also said that many of the party members will follow conservative Glenn Beck's call to action and vote for a third party candidate.
The convention saw former Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal's absence. He was one of the 17 Republican presidential candidates during the primary elections. South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley declined an invitation to speak at the convention, and while she did attend the meet, maintained a low profile. Florida cardiologist Zachariah P Zachariah, who has attended every Republican convention since 1990, said he would not be attending this year. "It's going to take a while for Trump to unify the party and all the people he's alienated: Hispanics, Muslims, and women," he said.
Republican National Convention Committee woman-elect from California, Harmeet Dhillon was, however, happy to support the businessman, mostly because of his plans to recover the economy. "The concept of economic recovery is a universal concept. Donald Trump's message is about unity, coming together as a country, and talking to each other," the attorney said. Several states staged a protest on the first day of the convention, which, according to Dhillon, "lost overwhelmingly". "This was a tactic to slow down proceedings and grandstand for the cameras," she said.
She also openly endorsed Trump's choice of Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his running mate. "Pence will unify the conservatives in the party who are still looking for Trump's bona fides. His record on economic recovery in Indiana has been outstanding," she said.
