Seasoned Indian diplomats and foreign policy analysts have hailed Donald Trump’s return as U.S. President and are confident that his friendship with Prime Minister Modi will further strengthen India-U.S. ties.
Trump’s Friendship With Modi
They say that Trump’s friendship and bonhomie with Modi matters a lot and would pave the way for opening new areas of cooperation.
Ties Between India And U.S Will Improve
In Trump’s second presidency, India and U.S. will strengthen cooperation in IT, trade defence and market economy.
Modi’s Equation With Three U.S. Presidents
In his third term as Prime Minister, Modi has dealt with two former U.S Presidents Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Joe Biden
India’s Positive Response To Trump’s Victory
Professor Srikant kondapalli who teaches in the Department of Chinese Studies in the School of International Studies in JNU, drew attention to India’s positive response to Trump’s victory.
“ The Mumbai Stock Exchange has given a positive signal to Trump’s victory in comparisan to the Chinese Stock Exchange,’’ Professor Kondapalli said.
Modi’s Congratulatory Message
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the first few world leaders to acknowledge Trump’s victory on X.
While congratulating Donald Trump on his historic victory, Modi said that he looks forward to renewing collaboration to further strengthen the India-US Comprehensive Global and Strategic Partnership.
Modi added, “Together, let’s work for the betterment of our people and to promote global peace, stability and prosperity.”
Bipartisan Consensus In Favour Of Good Relations With India
The JNU Professor said, “ We can say that our relations with U.S will strengthen further because of bipartisan consensus in U.S. in favour of good relations with India.’’
Apart from this, IMF projections about India’s growth rate is good news for U.S.
India and U.S. want to scale up trade to 500 billion US dollars.
Ambassador Surendra Kumar who served as Consul General in Chicago says both Democrats and Republicans want good relations with India.
American Society Is Patriarchal
While some foreign policy experts feel that Kamala Harris’ defeat is a reflection of the fact that the American society is patriarchal and is not prepared to have a woman President.
A senior Indian diplomat said on conditions of anonymity, “ While that could be one of the deductions, the reasons run far deeper. I would not simplify it to that alone.
Desire For Political Change
“There could be other reasons such as longing for a change. Economy is known to govern the outcome of many an election, ‘’ she said.
Apprehensions About Stricter Immigration Procedures
Dismissing apprehensions about stricter immigration procedures in the second term of the Trump Administration, foreign policy analysts say that there is always a demand for high-skilled Indian immigrants and technical experts.
India Need Not Worry Much On Immigration
Ambassador Kumar says, ” I don’t think we really need to worry much about immigration. Some candidates begin to see the world differently when they sit in the chair.”
He added, ” Our relations have reached a certain level of maturity. Any differences can be sorted out through diplomatic channels.”
Echoing similar sentiments, Professor Srikant Kondapalli said that while Trump said during his recent campaign that action against all illegal migrants will intensify, he may act differently as President.
“ While holding office as Presidents, they tend to take a centrist and moderate position.’’
American Society Still Not Mentally Prepared to Accept A Woman President
Speaking about Kamala Harris’ defeat, Ambassador Kumar who is also the founder of Indo American Friendship Associuation said “ It is not a straightforward political defeat.’’
He added, “ I am surprised that the oldest democracy in the world, as a nation, is still not mentally prepared to accept a woman as a President.”
Hillary Clinton And Kamala Harris
Notably, Hillary Clinton became the first woman major-party nominee for President when the Democratic party nominated her in 2016.
In 2024, Kamala Harris became the second woman, first Black woman, and first South Asian person major-party presidential nominee when she earned the requisite number of votes.
Harris Did Not Get The Votes She Expected
Kumar said that although Kamala Harris ran a good campaign in very limited time, she could not get the votes of the African Americans, the Indian Americans, the Hispanics, the rich people and the young voters.
“Women did vote for her but not the white male Americans.’’
Harris Did Her Best
Harris launched her candidacy in July 2024 when President and presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden dropped his re-election bid.
Professor Kondapalli explained reasons for Harris’ defeat.
“ Kamala Harris banked on the Hispanics who seem to have voted for Trump.’’
He added that Harris advocacy for abortion and reproductive rights did not translate into votes because America is still a conservative society.
Mobilization Of Funds
Kamala Harris succeeded in raising more than 700 million USD.
Elon Musk’s Backing
Ambassador Kumar said Elon Musk’s face value and backing also contributed to Trump’s victory.
Trump’s Victory
On Trump’s victory, Professor Kondapalli said, “ The main challenge was how the swing states would perform and from the beginning, there were indications that Trump would come back to power.’’
Referring to assassination attempts on Trump, he said that such attempts sometimes create sympathy.
What Contributed To Trump’s Victory?
Ambassador Kumar that the American voters seemed to believe that somehow believed that Trump is better equipped to handle economy, immigration, security and defence issues.
Voters think that Trump is tough on China.
“ Sixty five per cent of the Americans do not have very positive opinion about China and anybody who says anything against China resonates well with the voters.’’
“ This is what contributed to Trump’s victory. He raised the immigration issue as it resonates with the voters,” Kumar explained.
Victory Despite Impeachment And Criminal Charges
Ambassador Kumar said that despite the fact that Trump faced impeachment and criminal charges for several offences, the American voters overlooked everything.
This shows that American society has become too right leaning.
Trump Is Like A Teflon Character
He added that this election has proved that at the end of the day, Trump commands blind following.
His voters do not believe Trump’s claims of witch-hunting by Biden
U.S-China Relations
On U.S. China relations, the JNU Professor said, “ Trump started the tarrif war.”
There are 77,000 American companies in China. The total investment is worth 700 billion USD.
He said that although the U.S. considers China as a challenge, it is not feasible to relocate the 77,000 American companies in a day.
Both parties are in favour of decoupling.
Likewise, Kumar says, “The tarrifs Trump imposed damaged the Chinese economy in a big way. But they also realized that China has become so big that decoupling is just not possible.’
Issues Of Global Concern
Kumar flagged other issues of global concern such as climate change, the crisis in Iran, conflict in Gaza and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
“ Trump is unpredictable and is known to be very pro Israel. I wish that Trump will use his clout with Israel and finish the war in Ukraine,” he said.
