Washington: In a bid to woo Indian- Americans, Donald Trump has borrowed from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s winning slogan of the 2014 general elections as the Republican presidential nominee is seen in a TV ad saying “Ab Ki Baar Trump Sarkaar”.
This is the first time that a US presidential candidate has specifically targeted the Indian-American vote bank.
The new advertisement shows the 70-year-old reality TV star adapting BJP’s catchy election slogan of the 2014 polls “Ab Ki baar, Modi Sarkaar”.
Indian-Americans are traditionally supporters of the Democratic Party and Trump’s move is seen as an effort to make a dent in this vote bank.
The billionaire is seen in the 30-second video saying, “Ab Ki Baar Trump Sarkaar”.
“It’s running on 20 channels,” Shalabh Kumar, chairman of the Indian American Advisory Council of Donald J Trump for President, said.
The commercial, which ranges from 20 seconds to 50 seconds in different variants, is being run 20 times a day on these Indian-American channels.
It concludes with “I am Donald Trump and I approve this message” and carries excerpts of his remarks from his recent address to the Republican Hindu Coalition charity events in New Jersey.
In between his remarks, images of Prime Minister Modi pop in.
In this election cycle, Trump has made an unprecedented effort to reach out to the Indian-American community. He is the first presidential nominee to address an Indian-American event.
This week, his daughter-in-law Lara Trump celebrated Diwali at a Hindu Temple in Ashburn Virginia, a key swing State.
Kumar, who has been instrumental in both the commercial ad and New Jersey, did not say how much money the campaign is spending in running these advertisements on Indian channels in the US.
“Democrats talk good about India. Republicans do good about India,” Sekhar Tiwari, a long-time Republican supporter, said.
PTI