Donald Trump has once again done what he does best – charm, flatter, praise, and leave everyone wondering whether to believe a word of it.
At a glittering event in New Delhi marking the 250th anniversary of American Independence, Trump virtually wrapped Bharat and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a warm embrace. ‘I love India (Mr Trump, hereafter say, Bhaarat).’ ‘Modi is great.’ ‘India (yes, Bharat) can count on me 100 per cent.’
It was vintage Trump – grand declarations, personal affection, absolute assurances. The problem is not what Trump said. The problem is Trump himself.
For Bharat, and perhaps the world, Trump has become the political equivalent of a weather vane spinning madly in conflicting winds – hot one day, cold the next, and sometimes both before lunch.
The praise today, the pressure tomorrow
Only months ago, the same Trump administration had unsettled Bharat through tariff threats, visa tightening affecting Indian professionals, and a conspicuously softer posture towards China and Pakistan.
Now suddenly comes the full-throated endorsement. India is a ‘great friend’. Modi is ‘my friend’. India can count on him ‘100 per cent’.
But which Trump should New Delhi trust? The one imposing economic pressure? The one flirting diplomatically elsewhere? Or the one dispensing compliments from Washington?
Trump’s politics has rarely been anchored by consistency. It runs instead on instinct, ego, transaction and spectacle. Friends become adversaries overnight. Adversaries become friends over breakfast.
America First means Trump first
Trump’s defenders call it pragmatism. Critics call it opportunism.The reality lies somewhere in between – but always with Trump at the centre.
His foreign policy has never hidden its philosophy. Alliances matter only if they serve immediate American interests – or more precisely, Trump’s political interests.
Today, Bharat is indispensable because Washington needs New Delhi in a fractured world order, particularly against China’s rise. Tomorrow, the equation could change. Trump’s history offers enough evidence.
He has praised leaders lavishly before only to publicly rebuke or sideline them later. He has announced policies and reversed them. Threatened tariffs and withdrew them. Attacked allies while courting rivals. Predictability has never been his strength. Personal chemistry is not policy.
Modi and Trump – friendship vs statecraft
There is no denying the visible personal warmth between Modi and Trump. ‘Howdy Modi’ and ‘Namaste Trump’ created powerful political theatre and reflected genuine chemistry between the two leaders.
But nations cannot rely on chemistry. India’s interests demand realism, not sentiment. New Delhi has navigated global turbulence precisely because it avoided emotional dependence on any power centre – Washington, Moscow or Beijing.
Trump’s latest praise should therefore be welcomed politely and received cautiously. Compliments do not erase tariffs. Friendship does not erase visa restrictions. Words do not erase strategic ambiguity.
The megalomaniac factor
Trump’s political style has always revolved around himself. Institutions bend around personality. Policy bends around image. Diplomacy bends around optics.
Even in New Delhi’s celebratory event, the spotlight inevitably moved back to Trump himself – praising Marco Rubio as the greatest secretary of state in American history and reaffirming his own economic achievements.
That is the Trump template. Every stage becomes his stage. Every narrative returns to him. This is precisely why allies often struggle with him. Decisions can appear less institutional and more personal, less strategic and more impulsive. For Bharat, that unpredictability is not a minor inconvenience. It is a strategic risk.
Trust but verify
Bharat should engage Trump exactly as it engages every major power – with clarity, confidence and caution. Take the compliments. Pursue the trade deal. Deepen cooperation. But never forget that Trump’s political compass often points not north, not south, but inward.
Today it is ‘India can count on me 100 per cent.’ Tomorrow it may be tariffs, pressure tactics or another abrupt turn. With Trump, the challenge has never been hearing what he says. It has always been known whether he will still mean it next week.
