India Confident in Engagement with Incoming Trump Administration

India has communicated its lack of apprehension regarding cooperation with Donald Trump, as the former U.S. president is poised to assume office for a second term following his recent election victory. On Sunday, Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar stated that while numerous countries felt uneasy about a United States under Trump’s leadership, he affirmed that “India was not one of them”. Prime Minister Narendra Modi cultivated amicable relations with Trump during his initial term, which spanned from 2017 to 2021. However, India also encountered a contentious tariff dispute with the Trump administration, which impacted businesses in both nations. India has historically received bipartisan backing in the U.S., fostering effective collaboration with both Republican and Democrat presidents over the years. Successive administrations in Washington have consistently viewed India as a strategic counterbalance to China. Speaking at an event on Sunday, Jaishankar further asserted that Delhi had no grounds for concern that India-U.S. relations would not flourish under Trump. The minister remarked, “Modi was among the first three calls, I think, that President [elect] Trump took.” Nevertheless, the trade conflict is anticipated to remain a significant aspect of the relationship. In October, the president-elect had praised Modi as a “great leader” but also accused India of levying excessive tariffs. Analysts suggest it will be intriguing to observe if the rapport between the leaders can help resolve trade disagreements between the two countries. Trump and Modi have frequently expressed mutual admiration in the past. In 2019, the two leaders exchanged extensive praise during a joint appearance at an Indian-American community event titled “Howdy, Modi!”, hosted in Texas in honor of the Indian prime minister. The event, which drew nearly 50,000 attendees, was promoted as one of the largest receptions for a foreign leader in the U.S. The following year, during Trump’s inaugural official visit to India, Modi hosted him in his home state of Gujarat, where he organized a rally attended by 125,000 people at the world’s biggest cricket stadium. Despite these high-profile events, the relationship also experienced setbacks. During his first term, Trump rescinded India’s preferential trade status amidst a bitter tariff conflict between the two nations. Data from the U.S. Department of Labour indicated that the denial rate for H-1B visas also increased from 6% in 2016 to 21% in 2019. A majority of these visas are typically granted to Indian technology professionals. Concurrently, Jaishankar also argued that while the balance of power between the East and West was shifting, established industrialized economies like the U.S. retained considerable importance. He stated, “They are big markets, strong technology centres, hubs for innovation. So let’s recognise the shift, but let’s not get carried away and kind of overstate it and distort our own understanding of the world.”