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https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/05/opinions/asian-american-vietnamese-trump-election-vu/index.html
With Elections Day less than 100 days away, and President Donald Trump underwater in national polling averages, he is once again relying on his mastery of sowing discord to divide the nation and to distract the American public from his irresponsible leadership throughout this pandemic.
Baoky Vu
One possible distraction? Closing the Chinese consulate in Houston, which resulted in the Chinese shuttering the US consulate in Chengdu. And for one sliver of Trump's base -- Vietnamese Americans, many of whom harbor anti-Chinese sentiment -- the escalation of tension with the Chinese was just what they might be looking for.
Vietnamese Americans, particularly those over the age of 50, have been loyal Republicans for decades. In fact, according to the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Vietnamese American are the most conservative population among Asian Americans. While only about a third of them voted for Trump in 2016, 54% of them had voted for now-Sen. Mitt Romney in 2012 and 67% of them supported the late Sen. John McCain in 2008.
The recent downward trend in support for the GOP is likely the result of two main factors: first, the natural ebbs and flows of human nature as ethnic groups assimilate and grow, and second, with the passing of the Cold War, foreign policy concerns over time gave way to domestic priorities and social issues.
Still, at a point in time when, according to research from the American Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote), Vietnamese Americans below the age of 50 are identifying less and less with the GOP, many elders have remained steadfast in their support for Republican candidates, especially Donald Trump. In fact, the Trump administration's numerous trade, diplomatic and military skirmishes with China over the past four years have only endeared this bloc of voters even more to Trump. Many of them view China as a communist threat, and Trump as a strong leader willing to stand up to Beijing's prowess.
With Elections Day less than 100 days away, and President Donald Trump underwater in national polling averages, he is once again relying on his mastery of sowing discord to divide the nation and to distract the American public from his irresponsible leadership throughout this pandemic.
Baoky Vu
One possible distraction? Closing the Chinese consulate in Houston, which resulted in the Chinese shuttering the US consulate in Chengdu. And for one sliver of Trump's base -- Vietnamese Americans, many of whom harbor anti-Chinese sentiment -- the escalation of tension with the Chinese was just what they might be looking for.
Vietnamese Americans, particularly those over the age of 50, have been loyal Republicans for decades. In fact, according to the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Vietnamese American are the most conservative population among Asian Americans. While only about a third of them voted for Trump in 2016, 54% of them had voted for now-Sen. Mitt Romney in 2012 and 67% of them supported the late Sen. John McCain in 2008.
The recent downward trend in support for the GOP is likely the result of two main factors: first, the natural ebbs and flows of human nature as ethnic groups assimilate and grow, and second, with the passing of the Cold War, foreign policy concerns over time gave way to domestic priorities and social issues.
Still, at a point in time when, according to research from the American Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote), Vietnamese Americans below the age of 50 are identifying less and less with the GOP, many elders have remained steadfast in their support for Republican candidates, especially Donald Trump. In fact, the Trump administration's numerous trade, diplomatic and military skirmishes with China over the past four years have only endeared this bloc of voters even more to Trump. Many of them view China as a communist threat, and Trump as a strong leader willing to stand up to Beijing's prowess.
