Politico | Many Asian Republicans blame Trump, not their party, for discrimination
- New poll shows 56 per cent of Asian-American and Pacific Islander voters say the ex-US president was a ‘major reason’ for the spike in violence against Asians
- Distance from Trump would help attract more AAPI voters to the Republican Party, the survey results suggest
This story is published in a content partnership with POLITICO. It was originally reported by Matthew Choi on politico.com on October 4, 2021.
Asian-American Republicans have been disproportionate critics of former US president Donald Trump, and a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll suggests distance from Trump would help attract more Asian-American voters to the party.
A majority of Asian-American/Pacific Islander voters found the former president largely responsible for anti-AAPI discrimination during last year’s spike in violence amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
But that animus did not translate down the ballot, with a far lower percentage of AAPI voters saying the same about Republican lawmakers, according to the survey, which is the most extensive measure yet produced of AAPI sentiment after a turbulent year and a half.
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While 56 per cent of respondents felt Trump to be a major reason for discrimination against AAPIs, only 33 per cent said the same of Republicans more broadly and 31 per cent said the same of Republican lawmakers.