Houston: President Donald Trump has praised the contributions of the influential and thriving Indian-American community in the country. He asserted that he is ‘truly proud’ to have them as Americans.
President Trump lauded the role of the Indian diaspora in the US at the historic ‘Howdy, Modi!’ event in Houston, Texas, as he addressed a record crowd of over 50,000 Indian-Americans who gathered at the NRG Stadium to welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Prime Minister Modi and I have come to Houston to celebrate everything that unites America and India – our shared dreams and bright futures,” Donald Trump said Sunday.
Trump said he was attending the event to express his profound gratitude to the nearly 4 million amazing Indian Americans all across the country, who are ‘thriving, prospering, flourishing and hardworking’.
“You enrich our culture. You uphold our values. You uplift our communities. You are truly proud to be Americans and we are proud to have you as Americans,” the US President said.
Trump, called the gathering a ‘profoundly historic event’, was greeted with a standing ovation by the crowd.
It is estimated that there are about 5,00,000 Indians in the jurisdiction of the Consulate General of India in Houston. The two largest concentrations are in Houston and Dallas and their suburbs which have approximately 1,50,000 Indians each.
Trump pointed out that over the last two years, the unemployment rate among Indian-Americans dropped by nearly 33 per cent. The president also acknowledged that the Indian-American community was helping to strengthen the US.
“Indian Americans are pioneering, groundbreaking medicines save countless lives. They are developing revolutionary technology that is changing the world and they are founding new businesses that provide jobs to thousands to our fellow citizens,” pointed out Trump.
Houston is one of the most ethnically diverse cites in the US and according to media reports, oil-rich Texas is a must-win state for President Trump in the elections next year. So it was quite clear why Donald Trump was wooing the Indian Americans.
PTI