Why the right turned on Indians

为何右翼势力转向了印度人

Today, Explained

2026-10-07

25 分钟
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单集简介 ...

A surge of hate against Indian immigrants and Indian Americans has broken out of the far-right influencer sphere and into mainstream Republican politics. This episode was produced by Miles Bryan, edited by Jolie Myers, fact-checked by Gabriel Dunatov, engineered by David Tatasciore and Bridger Dunnagan, and hosted by Noel King. Tarrant County, Texas former GOP Chair Bo French speaks during a rally in honor of conservative activist Charlie Kirk on Sept. 20, 2025, in downtown Fort Worth. Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News via Getty Images. Further reading: Frisco Was a Welcoming Place for Indian Immigrants. Then Came the Influencers. Listen to Today, Explained ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. New Vox members get $20 off their membership right now. Transcript at ⁠⁠vox.com/today-explained-podcast⁠.⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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  • At a campaign event in Ohio over the weekend, Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican candidate for governor,

  • tried to pick up a child who was standing next to him on stage, and he fumbled him.

  • He almost dropped the kid.

  • For me, watching at home, this was hilarious.

  • For a politician, a passing embarrassment easy enough to explain.

  • I think anyone who's a parent has had that experience.

  • I mean, the kid, not to fat shame the kid, but he was a little chunky.

  • Afterward, Ramaswamy posted a cute picture of himself holding one of his own kids.

  • And the response online was swift and deranged.

  • Posters questioned Ramaswami's manhood, his American-ness.

  • They said ugly things about his Indian heritage.

  • The people who had negative stereotypes about Indians in their minds said, hey, look, the guy can't even pick up a kid.

  • Look how much of a weakling he is.

  • He can't even act like a normal American family man.

  • On Today Explained from Vox, there's a growing strain of anti-Indian racism coming from the online right.

  • And now it's moving offline.

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