Donald Trump Jr, the eldest son of US president Donald Trump, was snapped in Vantara, the largest wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centre, in Jamnagar, Gujarat, this week.
On his second trip to India, the American businessman had keen plans to attend what has been making headlines as one of the biggest weddings of the year. His schedule tied to the wedding ceremonies of Netra Gadiraju, the US-based billionaire Rama Raju Mantena’s daughter, found its venue in Rajasthan’s Udaipur on November 21 and 22.
Anant Ambani hosts Donald Trump Jr at Vantara
However, a day ahead of the auspicious union, he was hosted by Indian business leader and Reliance Industries’ executive director Anant Ambani in Gujarat’s Jamnagar, according to PTI. Having already visited the Taj Mahal in Agra earlier that day, Don Jr’s November 20 evening was marked by colourful gatherings, including a garba-dandiya night with the Ambanis.
After his Jamnagar arrival alongside his girlfriend, social media has been flooded with visuals of him embracing Gujarati dance culture. Not only was Don Jr caught on camera as he joined in on garba-dandiya festivities in Jamnagar, he was also spotted offering prayers at the Ganpati Temple inside the Vantara premises as part of his tour of the sprawling facility. In a separate video, Trump’s son was even pictured bowing before Lord Ganesha.
Don Jr’s India trip comes at a time when trade deal negotiations between the South Asian nation and the US are still ongoing. His notable visit, however, also follows his father’s repeated swipes at India over its purchase of Russian oil. As New Delhi continues to grapple with 50% US tariffs, it has also had to see the US president endlessly take credit for ceasefire between India and Pakistan after May’s Operation Sindoor.
‘False’ Hindu God controversy in US
The multi-faceted US-Indian trade and diplomatic tensions are not the only thing looming over Don Jr’s Jamnagar outing.
The Trump Organisation exec’s trip to India is now particularly grabbing headlines and viral fame online as netizens couldn’t help but gawk at visuals of him praying at Hindu God Ganesha’s temple in Gujarat this week. His brief pilgrimage was infamously predated by a Texas GOP controversy pertaining to offensive comments about the world’s third-largest religion.
Merely weeks ago, the Hindu American Foundation called out Indian-origin Abraham George, the Chairman of Republican Party of Texas, for failing to condemn his fellow GOP member’s remarks targeting the Hindu faith.
Earlier this month, the foundation wrote on X, “When we asked @TexasGOP to condemn @AlexDuncanTX’s anti-Hindu remarks over a Hanuman statue, we expected a commitment to our Constitution and the Establishment Clause… It’s not a winning strategy; it’s wrong; and it’s un-American.”
On his part, the Indian-origin US Republican had previously admitted to never having met Texas politician Alexander Duncan. Instead calling out his serevly troubling and “anti-Hindu” remarks in regards to the gigantic and iconic Hanuman statue in the state, he asserted his own identity as a “Christ follower.”
With Duncan having previous insinuated that Hindu Gods were fake, and there was no place for them in the US, where “JESUS IS KING,” George reiterated, “I agree with him that Christians need to be concerned about idols and false god.”
The Kerala-origin lawmaker added, “There is only one God, and that is Jesus Christ Himself. The commandments are clear: you shall not have any other god, and you shall not worship idols.”
A similar sentiment prevailed over the Elon Musk-led social media platform in October, when countless Indian-origin people (or Hindus) in the US celebrated Diwali abroad. Trump himself hosted a celebration dedicated to the Hindu Festival of Lights at the White House, inviting several crucial figures from the community to light diyas alongside him. Hindu faith-following National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard and FBI Director Kash Patel, who shares Gujarati origins, where there too.
Each one of them, alongside Punjabi-origin Nikki Haley and others from the Indian diaspora, were attacked with scathing reactions once these officials took to X to wish everyone a Happy Diwali. While some called it the worship of “false” or “pagan” gods, others outrightly demanded Indian-origin be “deported” for “polluting” the US.
