CLEVELAND (Diya TV) — A Hindu-American industrialist has emerged as one of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s largest donors, saying his support for the billionaire real estate mogul proves he is not a racist.
“A lot of people think that Trump is somewhat of a racist,” said Shalabh “Shalli” Kumar, a Republican and Chicago-based businessman. “His partnership with the Republican Hindu Coalition will set that aside.”
Kumar, who was born in India, is the founder and head of the Republican Hindu Coalition, and is also one of only handful of supporters in the country who has contributed to what Trump fundraisers colloquially call the “double max” — the holy grail of campaign fundraising in the 2016 cycle.
Kumar is sending $898,800 to Trump Victory, the joint fundraising effort between the nominee campaign, the Republican National Committee and 11 state parties. A non-profit entity, the Hindu Republican Coalition is not directly coordinating with the Trump campaign, but is generally supportive of it.
The individual maximum donation one can make is $449,400, the “double max” is when fundraisers find a wealthy donor who will also give the maximum contribution in the name of his wife, as Kumar has done.
Kumar’s company, AVG Advanced Technologies, manufacturers and sells electronic products. Kumar himself flew in Saturday morning to meet with Trump at his Hamptons mansion. Afterward, he said he was very impressed with the candidate — it was the first time either two had met. Just hours later, by Saturday afternoon, Kumar wired the maximum individual donation to Trump Victory himself. His wife intends on sending a matching check Wednesday.
“That’s just a start. That’s the seed money,” Kumar said of the donation.
During the meeting between the two, Kumar said he was particularly entranced by the tough words Trump voiced on Pakistan — India’s neighbor and biggest nemesis. He also praised Trump’s views on Muslim profiling.
“The way the Muslim religion is being practiced today — it’s not the religion but the way it is being practiced today — there’s something wrong,” Kumar said.
“The policy setting is that we need to have a lot of scrutiny. I totally agree with [former Speaker] Newt Gingrich [R-Ga.]: Mosques should be monitored completely, vetting should be taking place. … I am totally for profiling. If you need to profile, what is the fuss?
“He has to do whatever [it takes] and he is the strongest that has come about in the last 45 years. … On national defense, he will be stronger than Reagan,” Kumar added.
Trump told Kumar during their meeting that Pakistan cannot be trusted as a U.S. ally, about how Osama bin Laden was housed on Pakistani soil when he was found and killed by U.S. forces. Trump also spoke on improving relations between the U.S. and India, and to improve the trade agreements between the two nations in an attempt to counteract China’s rise.
Kumar said he was already sold on the candidate before the meeting took place, but sought just a few clarifications before finally pulling the trigger.
“His positions were not very clear. Sometimes he says off-the-cuff remarks about call centers in India … so I was a little bit concerned about that,” Kumar said.
The newly nominated Trump will give the keynote address at Republican National Convention on Thursday
