In the US, a religion-based and ethnicity-based campaign is an accepted practice and that was the first time a presidential candidate had come to a rally of Hindus. Trump's outreach to Indian-Americans by attending a rally of Hindu Republicans before the election did not seem to have made a difference.
According to the Asian and Pacific Islander Vote survey, 82 per cent of Indian-Americans chose Democrat Hillary Clinton, while only 9 per cent were for Trump in the 2016 election. Whether his overtures to Indians - and through them to other immigrants - would make difference is another matter. Trump has proposed an immigration system similar to that of Canada and Australia that would favour professionals and the educated that would benefit Indians waiting to immigrate. Indian professionals now wait as long as 10 years for a green card that gives them permanent immigrant status. Analysts say that the 'Howdy, Modi!' rally gave US President Donald Trump a stage to broadcast his welcome to legal immigrants.
