The anti-India sentiments are now spreading in American social media following Sriram Krishnan’s appointment as an AI advisor to the Trump administration. In a viral video circulating on X, an American man can be seen asking Indians to sign a petition to “stop the spread of the H1B virus.
The man, in the video, goes around different Indian-run shops and peddles the petition. At one point, he is asked about the symptoms, and in a joking manner, claims they include “diarrhoea” and a “smell,” stating that the virus “comes from India.” As the video ends, the man urges Donald Trump to “man up.”
The video, which has received over a million views, has elicited polarized responses on social media. Some people are supporting the man, while others are criticizing him for his racist behavior. One user commented, “You’re a horrible little man. Indians are hard-working people, and America wouldn’t exist without them. My wife is Indian, and she is the smartest, most beautiful, and hard-working person I know.”. Yes, that includes white people.” Another said, “You’ve done heroic things in the past, but this is BY FAR the most heroic. I applaud you, good sir.”
Getting Indians to sign to stop the spread of the H-1B Virus pic.twitter.com/VJH38laFhx
— Alex Rosen (@iFightForKids) January 5, 2025
Some were critical of the video. One said, “You have problems, man. This debate is not about hate against South Asians or East Asians, it is about love for Americans,” while another called it “Epic troll.
Tensions over the H-1B visa program have been increasing in recent times, with Indian immigrants increasingly facing rising hostility. Much of this is based on extremist views that hold that visa holders are “stealing” American jobs.
