Last Saturday night, I attended a Hindu fundraiser in Edison, NJ. There were two reasons why most were at the fundraiser: First, if you were a Hindu Republican who came out to support the community and see some interesting musical and entertainment acts; Second, you were like me and were there to see Donald Trump in person. Regardless of your political views, I still think seeing anyone who could be in the Oval Office is important and a great story to tell your kids in the future.
The fundraiser not only brought in Hindu people — There was a good amount of Trump supporters, the media networks, from NBC to local Indian newspapers, were also present and interviewing people. Also, a tiny group of protesters (whose signs made as much sense as the other candidate they are supporting). All this happened at the New Jersey Convention center in Edison. I would estimate around 1,000 people came out to support the Hindu Republicans and see Donald Trump speak. The crowd grew as reports came out that Trump's plane landed and was headed to the convention center.
Trump's speech was short and sweet. It was a 12-minute speech, surprising for a man who likes to talk. Trump spoke about terrorism at the event and stayed on-point the whole time. Keeping the country safe is a major talking point in this election. Right now, Trump understandably needs to stay on-point as other issues have made it hard for him to talk about the real issues. He also mentioned his famous saying "We're going to build a wall and make Mexico pay for it," a saying he has been saying since the campaign started, and one that caught the attention of this and mostly every crowd he's spoken to.
I came out of the event with a new appreciation of Hindu culture. Also, I learned that of the Republican Hindu coalition. Most importantly, I was able to see Donald Trump in person, something I wanted to do before the election to see what it was like. It may not have been an actual Trump rally, but it was something I will not soon forget or forget to tell anyone in the future.
