A new report shows anti-Asian hate speech surged online following Donald Trump’s election victory, particularly targeting South Asian communities. Plus, a teen Google engineer sues the University of California system, alleging racial discrimination in admissions; and Costa Rica receives its first group of Asian deportees from the U.S., sparking concerns over human rights and treatment.
Anti-Asian hate speech surged dramatically across online extremist spaces after Donald Trump’s 2024 election win, with South Asian communities bearing the brunt of the hostility, according to new research from Stop AAPI Hate. The study, released Thursday, highlights a disturbing escalation of racism and xenophobia between November 2024 and January 2025, marking the highest level of online anti-Asian rhetoric since monitoring began in August 2022.
The report analyzed discourse within domestic violent extremist (DVE) spaces in the U.S. from January 2023 to January 2025. It found a 66% surge in anti-Asian slurs following Trump’s election win, peaking in January 2025. South Asians were the most heavily targeted, receiving 75% of slurs in December 2024 and January 2025. Online threats of violence also spiked by 59% from November to December 2024, coinciding with divisive political rhetoric, particularly around immigration policies.
“We are extremely alarmed by the latest spikes of hate that Asian communities are facing today, both in online spaces and in-person — which Trump is fueling with xenophobic rhetoric and policies,” said Manjusha Kulkarni, co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate. “Trump and his loyalists have stoked the flames of anti-Asian scapegoating and bigotry for years, emboldening racists to commit acts of hate.”
Political rhetoric to blame
The report links the rise in hate speech to intensified anti-immigrant rhetoric from Trump and his allies, both during and after the campaign. Incidents like Trump’s inflammatory remarks on the H-1B visa program, amplified by figures such as Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, fueled xenophobic sentiment.
Anti-East Asian hostility was further intensified by events involving alleged Chinese military actions and scrutiny of Chinese-owned companies like TikTok and DeepSeek AI. In January 2025 alone, anti-East Asian slurs spiked by 54% compared to December 2024.
As predictor of offline violence
The findings align with prior research showing that surges in online hate speech often precede spikes in real-world violence. As extremist spaces become more active, targeted communities frequently face increased threats, harassment, and physical violence.
Firsthand accounts collected by Stop AAPI Hate reflect this concerning trend. One Indian man in Virginia reported being verbally harassed at a Thai restaurant by someone emboldened by Trump’s victory. In another case, a Chinese man in the South recounted being followed and threatened by someone celebrating Trump’s win.
“As the only racial group that is majority foreign-born — and accounting for one out of every seven undocumented immigrants — AAPI communities are experiencing devastating harms as a result of Trump’s xenophobic agenda,” Stop AAPI Hate co-founder Cynthia Choi stated.
A community response
In response to the growing wave of hate, Stop AAPI Hate launched the “Many Roots, One Home” advocacy campaign on Feb. 19. The initiative aims to empower Asian Americans and allies through education, political engagement and community action.
