The much-sought trade deal remained elusive as Donald Trump flew home after his high-profile visit to India. It left the nation wondering on what it achieved finally, apart from the defence deal that was announced with great pomp by the President. The highlight of the visit hovered around the oratory skills of Trump and an overdose of pleasantries that had deft political undertones.
India was left struggling to pick up success lines in what proved to be only an extravagant show of two tall political leaders, each in pursuit of their interests with hardly any takeaways for respective nations. In the end, it was all about the song, dance, cultural display and entertainment. Trump invoked Bollywood, cricketers and swamis, all as part of the optics and soaked in the royal welcome. India will be disappointed because there was a plan at the back of the mind, and the takeaways were by far few and insignificant.
The US president steered away from controversy by skirting sensitive issues. Asked about his position on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the US President said, “I don’t want to say anything on that. It is up to India. I hope it will take the right decision for its people.” On Kashmir, Trump said it is for India to handle and on terror, he chose words like radical Islamic terrorism and refrained from making an adverse comment on Pakistan.
Trump’s praise of Modi, calling him a tough negotiator, an excellent leader and a champion of religious freedom only acted as a balm to the bruised image of the PM who is currently battling issues like CAA and NCR.
On the flip side, Trump smartly used this stage to showcase his reach. In the run-up to his second presidential election, he managed to reach out to around 3 million NRIs who have traditionally been Democratic voters in the US. And even as the India tour concluded, Namaste Trump is expected to be part of Trump’s campaign. The President charmed a crowd of nearly a lakh and subtly passed a message back home that he is a popular leader overseas.
Apart from the glitz and show of pomp and honour, Trump went about the two-day tour in the true spirit of business mixed with the real character of friendship. The $3 billion defence deal was a big announcement by Trump, but the US also has an advantage here. Bolstering India’s defence would help Trump to keep a check on China which is growing in influence in the South Pacific region. The ‘tough negotiator’ comment of Modi may have sparked hopes of a tariff deal, but Trump proved to be a tougher negotiator.
India has reportedly spent approximately Rs 130 crore on the President’s visit. With the numerous hugs and hand-holding gestures accompanied by the warm hospitality acknowledged by Trump, India may have won the goodwill of the President. The event was high on optics but concluded with hardly any gain that India can count.
