Why Indians View Trump Differently: Corruption Is ‘Normal’ At Home, Says Zarna Garg

India-West News Desk

NEW YORK, NY – Comedian Zarna Garg , in her usual effervescent way, has offered a take on the Indian American community’s perception of President Donald Trump that some die-hard fans of Indian politicians might find provoking.

She suggested that many do not view Trump being a convicted felon or his personal conduct as disqualifying. Speaking with Joanna Coles on The Daily Beast podcast, Garg claimed this attitude stems from a cultural normalization of political corruption.

Garg explained that for many Indian-Americans, a politician facing criminal charges “just seems to be a job requirement,” stating, “First of all, our politicians are crooked back home, so that just seems to be a job requirement. So, I mean, they’re like, of course, he’s a criminal, they all are.”

.@ZarnaGarg on why a lot of Indian Americans love Trump pic.twitter.com/U7WOnWU0ja

— Ryan James Girdusky (@RyanGirdusky) December 2, 2025

She added that issues frequently raised by Americans, such as Trump’s personal scandals, do not carry the same weight. “Of course, he (Trump) has cheated on his wife; they all do. We don’t even consider any of those issues,” Garg said.

Moving to the issue of immigration, Garg, an author and legal immigrant herself, highlighted that Indian people “by and large, are legal immigrants in America.” Because of the years of waiting and processing involved, she claimed, “Indian people are not on board with the illegal immigration issue,” adding that many were confused by the Biden administration’s handling of the border.

“We have relatives who have been waiting 15 years in line because that’s the right thing to do, and then it felt like anybody who was breaking the law was getting rewarded,” Garg told the podcast. While Garg expressed disagreement with the methods of removal, she conceded that “a lot of the problems that Trump started highlighting are the real problems.”

After her comments circulated online, social media users questioned whether Garg reflected the broader community, noting Indian-Americans traditionally lean Democratic. Some also challenged her assertion about lawful immigration. One commenter wrote that “roughly 250,000 Indians attempted to illegally cross the borders during Biden’s presidency,” disputing her claim that Indians predominantly follow legal pathways.