Donald Trump: The Great Disruptor

India has less to worry about Donald Trump’s presidency than other countries. He is neither anti- nor pro-India. But if he can prise Russia from China’s grip, India should cheer him.

- Rekha Dixit

Donald Trump passed blame freely during his presidential race. He blamed China for monetary fraud, Mexico for sending criminals and drug pushers across the border, NATO countries and other allies such as Japan and Saudi Arabia for making the United States pay their military bills. In the thick of his venom-spewing campaign, India stood out as perhaps the only country for which he proclaimed love, famously saying that Hindus and the Indian community would find a true friend in the White House if he was elected. He went ahead to condemn terror strikes in India, even though he once merged two attacks into one and made it the “Parliament attack in Mumbai”. He may have muddled up cities, but there was no question about the clarity of his sentiment. In the 13 minutes that he addressed a gathering organised by the Republic Hindu Coalition in New Jersey in October, he made it seem that once he entered the White House, the US and India would become BFFs (best friends forever, to the uninitiated).

Come January 20, and it’s time to see how his Indian romance will unfold. Wooing India, however, is not as simple as dispatching family members to attend Hindu rituals in temples in the US or mouthing sweet nothings. In fact, it may also not always be so much about Trump’s direct dealings with India as it may be about how he chooses to waltz with Russia, whether he slays dragons in China and if at all he sends Pakistan to Coventry. Trump, as everyone likes to say, is tabula rasa, and it’s rather difficult tracing a trajectory for his proposed plans. If anything, his actions as president elect have sent confusing signals. He has named China critic Peter Navarro as his trade adviser and Terry Branstad, a good friend of Chinese President Xi Jinping, as ambassador to China.