Telugus Lean Towards Trump

Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam: With the U.S. presidential election scheduled for November 5, local Telugu communities have expressed a desire for a more liberal immigration policy, encouraging more Telugu people to come to the U.S. for higher education without restrictive norms. They also want to support the leader who can address the issues of unemployment and inflation, especially the unemployed Telugu people who are finding it tough to get the essentials at affordable prices to survive.

With the increased representation, Indian Americans, particularly the influential Telugu communities are going to play a crucial role in the presidential election. The US Census Bureau reports that approximately 46 per cent of Indian Americans are eligible to vote in this election, a notable static compared to other ethnic groups. The Telugu-speaking population has experienced remarkable growth in the U.S. increasing from 3,20,000 in 2016 to 1.23 million in 2024.

The growing influence of the Telugu community is particularly significant in key swing states such as Virginia, Texas, California, Georgia and Illinois. For instance, during the 2020 presidential election, Santa Clara County in California allowed voter registration in six Indian languages, including Telugu, highlighting the community's political importance. "The Telugu votes have become crucial in the fierce battle of the U.S. presidential election," said Ashok Galla, Treasurer of the Telugu Association of North America (TANA). He noted that there are currently 2.56 million Indian citizens eligible to vote, many of whom have gained citizenship over the past four years. "Voter turnout is expected to be high due to dissatisfaction with the previous four years of lack of governance, with many indicating support for Trump," he added.

Talking to Deccan Chronicle on the voting pattern for electing the new U.S. President, Telugu Association of North America (TANA) president Niranjan Srungavarapu said the majority of Indian Americans, including Telugus, are leaning towards Donald J. Trump, the Republican Party’s presidential candidate. “Favourable policies encouraging Indian businesses and the Indian government by Donald Trump will help him win the trust of Indians and secure their votes in the presidential election,” Niranjan reasoned.

V. Samuel Sukanth, who hailed from Andhra Pradesh and is now an unemployed U.S. citizen living in Indiana Polis, said, “Telugu people are facing a tough task to arrive in the US for study or work as the immigration norms are very tough. We are looking for a leader who can liberalise such immigration norms so that the young generation from India will visit the US to study and find work and settle down here.” A section of Telugu people find some edge to Trump due to his liberal policies and his past rule for four years.

However, some Telugu people are said to be talking about abortion rights and intend to support whoever is a bit liberal on it. Dental student Tabitha Joy, a student from Andhra Pradesh pursuing her course in Chicago, said, “Some Telugu people are looking for a leader who advocates rights for abortion and also a bit liberal on faiths and beliefs of the people.” Moreover, the Telugu people appeared to be looking at the U.S. foreign policy also as they wanted peace with no funds to be spared to other states to encourage war.