During the recent Diwali period, FBI Director Kash Patel, Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and other prominent right-wing Hindu-Americans were subject to racist and sectarian attacks by their own MAGA crowd.
Historically, as I wrote during a spate of violent attacks against South Asians in 2017, Trump’s last time in office, anti-Indian bias has deep roots in this country going back to the 19th century—combined with prejudice against Muslims, Hindus, and other groups.
When Ramaswamy interviewed the far-right commentator Ann Coulter on his podcast in 2024, after his failed presidential run, she said to his face: “I agreed with many, many things you said…but I still would not have voted for you, because you’re an Indian.”
I’m not holding my breath for Trump supporters to speak up against this hatred, though they ought to.
The Civil Historian