On Sunday night, after the viral moment at the Oscars in which Will Smith hit Chris Rock after Rock had made a joke about Smith’s wife Jada, CNN analyst Asha Rangappa explained that the indifference to the violence from the Oscar crowd had parallels to former President Donald Trump.
Rangappa, who also serves as senior lecturer at Yale University’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairs, tweeted, “So did like anyone walk out after that happened??? Or are we getting an independent psychological case study on how Trump got normalized?”
So did like anyone walk out after that happened??? Or are we getting an independent psychological case study on how Trump got normalized?
— Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) March 28, 2022
Last year, after there were reports from an Associated Press journalist that a pilot on a Southwest Airlines flight had signed off his announcement for passengers, “Let’s Go Brandon,” Rangappa compared the pilot to an ISIS sympathizer. She tweeted, “As an experiment, I’d love for an @SouthwestAir pilot to say ‘Long live ISIS’ before taking off. My guess is that 1) the plane would be immediately grounded; 2) the pilot fired; and 3) a statement issued by the airline within a matter of hours.”
As an experiment, I’d love for an @SouthwestAir pilot to say “Long live ISIS” before taking off. My guess is that 1) the plane would be immediately grounded; 2) the pilot fired; and 3) a statement issued by the airline within a matter of hours
— Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) October 31, 2021
In August 2020, Rangappa attacked former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley, whose ancestry is also from India. Haley had stated at Republican National Convention that America is not a racist country. Rangappa then mocked Haley for using the name Nikki instead of her first name, “Nimrata.”
Right. Is that why you went from going by Nimrata to "Nikki"? https://t.co/buGFcY48gQ
— Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) August 25, 2020
As National Review noted, “Rangappa’s attack might have worked, if it weren’t the case that ‘Nikki’ is Haley’s middle name, and a traditional Punjabi name at that. This isn’t some well-guarded secret that it would’ve been difficult for Rangappa to ascertain, either; Haley has both tweeted and written about going by ‘Nikki.’”
Haley’s 2012 memoir states, “’Nimrata’ is my given name, but I have spent my whole life as Nikki. Some have accused me of creating the name ‘Nikki,’ to sound American, but on my birth certificate it says ‘Nimrata Nikki Randhawa.’”
“Like the target of her scorn, Rangappa also goes by her middle name,” National Review pointed out. “After being called out for it, Rangappa attempted to defend herself by doubling down on her misrepresentation of Haley’s remarks.” Rangappa tweeted, “Yes…that’s the whole point. Indians go by more easily pronounceable (and often anglicized) names you avoid racist BS. Which contradicts Nikki’s claim that there is ‘no racism.’ Thanks for making my point with your big ‘gotcha’!”
Yes…that’s the whole point. Indians go by more easily pronounceable (and often anglicized) names you avoid racist BS. Which contradicts Nikki’s claim that there is “no racism.”
Thanks for making my point with your big “gotcha”! 😂 https://t.co/bWch1rxCJ7
— Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) August 25, 2020
The group South Asians for Biden also targeted Haley but later apologized for its “tone” but Rangappa took a different path. Washington Free Beacon reporter Alex Nester contacted Yale University for comment, prompting Rangappa to tweet to her over 600,000 Twitter followers to “feel free to respond” to Nester after posting an email screenshot which had Nester’s phone number and email.
Blasting out someone’s cell phone & telling your 600k followers to respond to her is likely a violation of Twitter’s rules. Asha is doing this because she’s Mad Online about being caught in lies about Nikki Haley (whose middle name is Nikki & whose family always called her that). https://t.co/IbznLwqfMx pic.twitter.com/zRBhcJbpy3
— Jerry Dunleavy (@JerryDunleavy) August 26, 2020
Not great! pic.twitter.com/TrxRsdEZbn
— Jerry Dunleavy (@JerryDunleavy) August 26, 2020
Haley then called Rangappa out, tweeting, “It is a disgrace that @CNN and @Yale promote someone who would bully & attack a 22-year old just because she rightly called out her error. I’m proud of @alexnester2020 for using the power of her voice & having courage to accurately report hypocrisy.”
It is a disgrace that @CNN and @Yale promote someone who would bully & attack a 22-year old just because she rightly called out her error. I’m proud of @alexnester2020 for using the power of her voice & having courage to accurately report hypocrisy. https://t.co/8qcriZltc0
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) August 27, 2020
Rangappa then whined that Nester was an “intern who presented herself as a reporter” and “tried to Karen me at my job.”
Twitter made me delete the tweet of the public-facing contact form I posted of the @FreeBeacon intern who presented herself as a reporter and tried to Karen me at my job. 🙄
Getting a Twitter warning felt like the first time I got detention as a senior in high school! 😂💃🏽
— Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) August 26, 2020