Key Points:
Zarna Garg faced online backlash after claiming that Indian Americans largely support Donald Trump.
Netizens criticised Garg for making what they called an ill-informed statement on immigration.
Her remarks came amid heightened scrutiny of Trump’s tightened immigration policies and ICE deportation.
American comedian Zarna Garg has found herself amid a storm of backlash and criticism following her recent appearance on The Daily Beast podcast, aired on November 30, 2025.
The podcast, hosted by Joana Coales, was a routine outing for the stand-up comedian and initially sparked no controversy. However, the conversation took a drastic turn when Garg claimed that the “Indian American community loves Trump.” Many netizens lost their composure after Garg asserted that the issue of “illegal immigrants” is not faced by the Indian diaspora.
While some called her out for speaking on behalf of the entire Indian community, others wondered who she was.
Zarna Garg was born in Mumbai, Maharashtra, and later emigrated to the United States to live with her sister. She is a writer, producer, and a well-to-do stand-up comedian.
According to her official website, where she explains her story and journey, she describes herself as “an Indian immigrant wife, mom, lawyer, screenwriter, producer, stand-up comedian, and all-around nosey, overbearing Indian auntie.”
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Garg has been living in New York City with her family, on whom the majority of her stand-up acts are based. Her recent podcast appearance with her daughter, Zoya Garg, has intensified the discourse over whether her comment—“illegal immigration is not a major problem for the diaspora”—was a statement of ignorance.
“The Indian community loves Trump; it is what it is—we don’t have the problems with him that a lot of people in America have,” Garg said. She went on to explain her view by drawing a comparison between the former POTUS and politicians in India.
Garg joked that Trump’s felony charges are not seen as a point of contention, especially within the Indian community, citing the perceived interrelationship between corruption and “politicians back home.”
She explained, “Well, first of all, our politicians are crooked back home, so that just seems to be a job requirement.” Garg added that people have become comfortable with criminals entering politics, saying, “Nobody who’s not a criminal wants to do this job. So we’re kind of comfortable with that.”
She further claimed that all men cheat on their wives at some point. “Of course, he’s cheated on his wife. They all do it. So we don’t even consider any of those issues,” Garg said.
The conversation between the trio quickly turned to the subject of immigration and illegal immigrants. The segment garnered a significant amount of reaction from netizens, many of whom strongly criticised Garg for what they described as an ill-informed remark. She said, “Now, when it comes to immigration, Indian people by and large are legal immigrants in America.”
Her statement reinforced the narrative that Indian immigrants stay in line and follow the rules. Contrary to her claim, as of 2022, undocumented Indians made up the third-largest group of unauthorized immigrants in the United States. According to the Pew Research Center, around 725,000 undocumented Indians were recorded, ranking behind only Mexico and El Salvador.
Garg claimed that illegal immigration “was something that we never really got on board with.” She further took a dig at the Biden administration, stating that the issue of illegal immigration had not been taken seriously in the past. Garg asserted that she does not agree with Trump’s governance or execution style but maintained that the issues highlighted by the Trump administration are “real problems.”
Ever since Trump resumed office in January 2025, the administration has significantly tightened its immigration policies and expanded the deployment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The agency has been scrutinised for its lack of transparency and allegedly harsh tactics.
According to an NBC report, in the first nine months after Trump took office, around 220,000 people were apprehended by ICE. The report also indicated that one-third of those deported had no criminal history.
Zarna Garg’s commentary, in which she spoke on behalf of an entire community, was described by many social media users as “talking through her hat.”
One user wrote, “How she is speaking for all Indians is beyond me!” while another commented, “If you expect politicians to be liars and thieves, you’ve already set the bar so low that the orange fool has no problem meeting it. The point is, you’ve got to set the bar of ethics high; otherwise, how do we evolve as a civilization?”
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