Forward looking visit :::: Jaishankar recently said - "Trump had always held a positive political view of India"

Dr S Jaishankar's US visit, first after Donald Trump's presidential win: What to expect

External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar will be in the United States over the next few days. He is expected to meet top Indian diplomats posted in the country and brief them on reaching out to members of the incoming Donald Trump administration in the US.

As the US voters rejected Joe Biden and Kamala Harris of Democrats block, there was delight in India's foreign engine room. 

Firstly, with Trump taking over the Oval Office early 2025, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau's bonhomie with the US might be short-lived. And this is much to the liking of the Narendra Modi-Jaishankar duo.  

Moreover even before before taking charge, Donald Trump struck the right chords of Indian by condemning attacks on Hindu minorities in Bangladesh and blaming Kamala Harris and Joe Biden for "ignoring Hindus across the world".

The visit comes at a time when the India-US relationship has seen some turbulence over an alleged plot to assassinate Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannu on American soil. 

The Biden administration is also seen to have sided with the Justin Trudeau-led Canadian government over its allegations against India related to the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Earlier this month, Jaishankar, speaking at an event in Delhi, said that Trump had always held a positive political view of India. He further mentioned that with Donald Trump as President, India was in a better position to forge "deeper" ties with the US as compared to other countries.

However, India will be wary of Trump's stance on imposing reciprocal tariffs, stringent immigration policies and lack of intent when it comes to the global environment and green energy policy in the days to come.

Geopolitical experts don't expect to see major changes in the India-US relationship under Donald Trump's presidency. The relations are likely to follow a path of continuity that was previously seen during the transition between the Trump 1.0 administration and President Joe Biden.

A number of initiatives that were started under the earlier Trump administration, including Quad, were further expanded and strengthened under Biden, especially in the fields of technology and defence.

The US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology or iCET was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Biden in 2022 in a bid to bolster ties in the field of high-technology. 

With an eye on China, India inked mega defence deals with the Biden government, which included the procurement of 31 Predator long-endurance drones, 15 Sea Guardian drones and eight Sky Guardian drones each for the Indian airforce and army.  

The government last month said that it has received no request from US authorities about the arrest warrant issued against industrialist Gautam Adani over bribery charges. The remarks came amid reports of an indictment against Gautam Adani by the US Department of Justice.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), in an official statement, said that the government has no role in the legal proceedings involving Adani-linked entities in the United States.  

“This is a legal matter involving private firms and individuals and the US Department of Justice,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during a press briefing. 

He said - “established procedures and legal avenues” would be followed in such cases.  

Trump 1.0 + Modi 1.0 

Donald Trump stuns Pentagon and 'broader defense world' by nominating Fox News host Pete Hegseth to serve as Defence Secretary

Hegseth even had said --

“Everything about men and women serving together makes the situation more complicated, and complication in combat, that means casualties are worse,” Hegseth said. 

 Pentagon bracing for sweeping changes after Trump nominates Pete Hegseth for secretary

The appointment was met with bewilderment and wide-eyed worry among many in Washington, as Donald Trump passed on a number of established national security heavy-hitters and chose an Army National Guard captain who is well-known in conservative circles as a co-host of Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends Weekend.”

Pete Hegseth is seen in some quarters as someone largely inexperienced and untested on the global stage to take over the world’s largest and most powerful military.