President values their “incredible contribution to fabric of society, whether it’s science or education or the government.”
The White House has reiterated President Joe Biden’s belief that Indian Americans are making a great contribution to the fabric of society, whether it’s science or education or the government.
Biden’s recent remark that people of Indian descent “are taking over the country” was meant to recognize, honor and value the “incredible contribution of Indian Americans to science”, Biden’s press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Thursday.
She was responding to criticism of Biden’s remarks made during a virtual meeting last week with Swati Mohan, the NASA engineer who had guided the Mars rover Perseverance to a soft landing on the Red Planet.
“Well, I would first say that, the President was just recognizing and honoring and valuing — or this was his intention — the incredible contribution of Indian Americans to science,” Psaki said.
Adding context to the conversation, she noted that Biden was “speaking to an Indian American woman who is, of course, a scientist and an important part of the NASA team.”
RELATED: Indian Americans taking over the US: President Biden (March 5, 2021)
“And he also was, of course, recognizing the incredible contribution of his own (Indian American) Vice President” Kamala Harris, Psaki said.
“And he just believes that — you know, it was a reflection of his belief that Indian Americans have a — make a great contribution to the fabric of society, whether it’s science or education or the government, and that was what he was trying to convey,” she said.
“It’s amazing. Indian of descent Americans are taking over this country” Biden had told Mohan. “You, my Vice President, my speechwriter Vinay (Reddy). But I tell you what, thanks. You guys are incredible.”
In response to another question about a “feeling” among a number of Indian Americans that the Biden administration was more focused on illegal immigrants than resolving the issues of legal immigrants, Paski referred to the President’s immigration bill.
READ: List of Indian Americans in the Biden administration (January 2, 2021)
The sweeping legislation “proposes a number of fixes or changes in the legal and legislative system to ensure that those issues are addressed, and we’re eager to move that forward with members of both parties,” she said.
While Indians and Indian Americans had hailed Biden’s comments about the contributions of the community, it was criticized by some, including a rightwing publication, RedState.
If former President Donald Trump had made such a statement about Indian Americans he would have been denounced as “racist,” it said.
“Show me one sane person who believes an unknown group of Indian Americans are immediately going to assume control of the federal government, or is stupid enough to believe Indian Americans are the majority of America,” Red State wrote.