After Winning in 2016, Trump was looking for “the microfinance guy from Dhaka”

November 06, 2024

Washington, D.C. – In a surprising moment following his victory in the 2016 US presidential election, Donald Trump asked a visiting Bangladeshi delegation, “Where’s the microfinance person in Dhaka?” The reference was to Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the Nobel laureate and founder of Grameen Bank, who has been a prominent figure in global microfinance.

The delegation, which included Bangladeshi diplomats, government officials, and prominent Bangladeshi-Americans, had gathered in Washington to offer their congratulations to the newly[1]elected president. After the formalities, Trump’s first question was aimed directly at Yunus, a known supporter of Hillary Clinton during the 2016 election. Trump, recalling rumors that Yunus had contributed to efforts to defeat him, added, “I heard he donated to defeat me,” signaling his displeasure with the microfinance pioneer’s political leanings.

A former official from Sheikh Hasina’s government, present at the meeting, confirmed that Trump expressed anger over Yunus’s support for the Clinton campaign, which had included sizable donations from Yunus’s non-profit organizations.

In 2016, a State Department review revealed that Yunus’s non-profit, Rural America, had donated between $100,000 and $250,000 to Clinton’s campaign, with his other group, Grameen Research, contributing an additional $25,000 to $50,000.

Fast forward to 2024, and the political dynamics have shifted dramatically. In the wake of the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government in August, Muhammad Yunus now leads an interim government in Bangladesh. Under Yunus’s leadership, concerns over rising violence against religious minorities, particularly the Hindu community, have escalated. Reports indicate an alarming rise in attacks on Hindus, Hindu temples, and Hindu politicians, with no significant legal repercussions for the perpetrators.

Trump, now running for re-election as the Republican candidate, has condemned these acts of violence. During a recent Diwali message, Trump expressed his firm commitment to protecting Indian-American Hindus from what he called “left-wing extremist” violence and reaffirmed his strong ties with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Trump’s remarks underscore a growing concern among international observers about the safety of minorities in Bangladesh under Yunus’s leadership.

In an interview, Yunus seemed to downplay the severity of the violence, suggesting that the attacks were politically motivated rather than ethnically or religiously driven. By framing the assaults as a clash between the Awami League and its political opposition, Yunus’s statements have been criticized as legitimizing the violence and deflecting responsibility.

The ongoing violence has raised alarm within the international community, particularly among human rights groups and the Indian government. Despite the grim situation in Bangladesh, Trump’s campaign has highlighted the need for stronger protection of minority communities globally, especially those tied to the Indian diaspora.

As the 2024 US presidential election progresses, Trump is on the cusp of a comeback. Having won more than 30 states, including key battlegrounds like Pennsylvania, Georgia, Texas, and Florida, he is poised to secure the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency, with just three more votes standing between him and victory. Meanwhile, Democratic candidate Kamala Harris has claimed 20 states, with vote counting still underway in several regions.

With Trump’s electoral prospects looking strong and the situation in Bangladesh increasingly volatile under Yunus’s interim government, the coming months are likely to see continued focus on both Trump’s relationship with the Indian-American community and the geopolitical implications of Yunus’s leadership in Bangladesh.

(Quoted from Risab Madhvendra Pratap’s column)