President Donald Trump’s return to the White House is stirring global reactions, but India appears largely optimistic about his second term. Just over a week into Trump’s presidency, India is signaling its readiness to adapt to his transactional style of diplomacy.
Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a “productive call” on Monday, centered on “expanding and deepening cooperation.” According to a White House readout, the leaders discussed geopolitical issues and bilateral trade, with Trump emphasizing the importance of India increasing its purchases of American-made security equipment to help balance the trade relationship between the two countries. This call is believed to be among the first Trump has taken from foreign leaders since his return to office.
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“Expectations are high for U.S.-India relations with Trump having taken office. He and Modi have a strong chemistry, given their similar worldviews and governance styles,” said Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center.
Modi has enjoyed a strong rapport and personal bond with Trump. “We have a very good relationship with India,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One after his call with Modi.
In 2020, Modi hosted a massive rally for Trump in his home state of Gujarat, where both leaders spoke admiringly of each other in front of a crowd exceeding 110,000 people. The previous year, Trump likened Modi to Elvis Presley for his ability to draw large crowds at a joint rally in Texas. However, Trump’s sweeping immigration crackdown is raising concerns among Indians.
According to the Pew Research Center, India is one of the top sources of illegal immigration to the United States, with an estimated 725,000 Indians residing in the U.S. illegally as of 2022. Furthermore, Customs and Border Patrol encountered nearly 90,500 Indian citizens in fiscal year 2024 alone. The immigration unease also arises as H-1B visas, a common legal pathway for Indians, have been a contentious topic among Trump’s supporters. On Monday, however, Trump dismissed immigration concerns, expressing confidence that India will “do what is right.”
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Trade remains another potential point of contention affecting U.S.-India relations. Just a day after his call with Modi, Trump denounced India, China, and Brazil as “tremendous tariff maker(s).” Speaking to House Republicans in Florida, Trump emphasized that these nations harm the U.S. with high tariffs, asserting, “we’re not going to let that happen any longer because we’re going to put America first.”
During his first term, Trump labeled India the “tariff king” amid trade disputes, revoking India’s special trade privileges in 2019. In retaliation, India imposed tariffs on more than two dozen U.S. goods.
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Modi is positioning India as a rising global player and seeks to enhance trade ties with the U.S., particularly in light of Trump’s international tariff threats. Trump has proposed a “universal” tax of 10% or 20% on all international imports, which would include India. As the world’s fifth-largest economy, India aims to boost bilateral trade with the U.S. while reducing its dependence on China, with the U.S. and China being India’s top trading partners.
Recent legal allegations have also tested the growing relationship between India and the U.S. Last year, American prosecutors charged Indian government agents with a plot to assassinate an American citizen on U.S. soil. Months later, the Justice Department indicted Indian tycoon Gautam Adani on fraud and bribery charges. Despite these challenges, the bilateral relationship has endured.
“There will be challenges to navigate, for sure, both those inherited from the Biden administration – like the Justice Department investigation of an alleged Indian government involvement in a murder-for-hire plot in New York, and new ones like trade,” Kugelman explains. “But we can see from New Delhi’s recent signaling that it’s prepared to act preemptively to lower the risk of tensions.”
In the days since Trump took office, India has indicated it would explore lowering tariffs, taking back some illegal Indian migrants, and importing more U.S. oil to reduce imports from Russia.
As India works to strengthen defense, technology, and trade ties with the United States, the nation expresses confidence in its ability to weather Trump’s “America First” administration. “I know today a lot of countries are nervous about the U.S., let’s be honest about that. We are not one of them,” Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar remarked shortly after the November election.
Washington views India, the world’s largest democracy, as a counterbalance to China’s growing assertiveness. Additionally, Trump appears largely unconcerned with Modi’s policies, which have been deemed problematic by many global leaders. The two leaders align in style and rhetoric, particularly regarding national pride.
Kugelman noted, “the U.S. and India will continue to share a number of strong policy and strategic convergences, chief among them countering China.”
Trump’s administration also features prominent Indian-Americans. His pick for FBI director, Kash Patel, faces a high-stakes Senate confirmation hearing this week. If confirmed, he will be the FBI’s first Indian American leader and its youngest director. Trump has also nominated Dr. Jay Bhattacharya for director of the National Institutes of Health and Harmeet K. Dhillon as assistant attorney general for Civil Rights. Others, including former 2024 presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and senior policy adviser for AI, Sriram Krishnan, already hold significant advisory roles in the administration. While they inspire hope among many Indian immigrants, Krishnan, a first-generation Indian, has become a polarizing figure. Additionally, while not a cabinet member, Vice President JD Vance’s wife, Usha, is the first woman of Indian origin to serve as second lady.
India remains optimistic about strengthening its relationship with the United States under Trump’s leadership, viewing it as an opportunity to advance its strategic interests on the global stage. Modi is expected to meet with Trump as soon as next month, while Trump plans to visit India later this year to attend a Quad Leaders’ Summit hosted by New Delhi.
“The fact that India, with its nationalist government and strong confidence as a rising power, would so quickly and publicly acknowledge a willingness to consider making concessions to the U.S. says a lot about just how much it wants its partnership with Washington to work in the second Trump administration,” Kugelman concluded.