President Trump visits India: A 'successful' trip

“Extraordinary” visit

Before saying goodbye to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Donald Trump thanked the host country for its warm welcome - a welcome that made his visit very special - a "phenomenal" and "unforgettable" visit. Surely Donald Trump will not forget the crowd of more than 100,000 people eagerly awaiting his appearance at the world's largest cricket stadium - a scene that perhaps even his largest campaign rallies in the US could not reach.

A poster of a group of children dressed in traditional costumes of different states in India to welcome Mr Donald Trump in Ahmedabad. Photo: PTI

But the impressive reception for Donald Trump still cannot distract public attention from the results of the rare state visit of a US President to India. Many people also compare what Donald Trump achieved on this trip is too modest, in contrast to the flashy presentation in the media. After the talks at Narendra Modi's residence, the two leaders may announce that India has agreed to buy military equipment from the US, including attack helicopters worth $ 3 billion, and the two countries agree to increase cooperation in a number of other areas such as counter-terrorism and ensuring security for future 5G networks.

On trade, the two leaders failed to reach an agreement after talks at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence. The only small bright spot was Donald Trump’s promise of a trade deal by the end of the year, a promise that showed that negotiators from both sides would continue to realize the political will of the two leaders on trade cooperation. Therefore, many people humorously compared the “extraordinary” nature of Donald Trump’s visit to India to the fact that he “wasted a state visit” when he really needed a significant achievement to score points with voters in the final stage of the election race.

More than 100,000 people welcomed Mr. Donald Trump at the stadium. Photo: The Vox

However, analysts say that, in addition to the trade agreement, the US and India still have many other "gifts" to give each other: a common vision of regional security, a desire for a stable and prosperous South Asia, similar views on Pakistan's role in the war in Afghanistan, and caution against the prospect of China's strong rise in the region...

What Mr. Donald Trump has created after his visit to India is a "new and unprecedented" shape in the US-India relationship up to now, which is not just an old-style alliance relationship, not just a friendly relationship between two leaders, but a strategic partnership based on strategic convergence of interests.

Mission "turn green to red"

There is no denying that there were high expectations placed on Donald Trump’s visit to India, especially for a breakthrough in trade. Therefore, many people emphasized the fact that the two sides did not make progress in trade commitments to make pessimistic comments about this visit. But for Donald Trump himself, perhaps from the beginning, he did not “bet” the success of his visit to India on the issue of trade.

From the start, President Donald Trump did not “bet” the success of his visit to India on the issue of trade. In the photo: Car manufacturing in India.

The whole world knows about Donald Trump’s “America First” policy with an important element of fair trade. Meanwhile, Narendra Modi is also known as a populist leader with an ambitious “Make in India” program to boost the export of Indian products abroad. Even during his visit, Donald Trump did not hesitate to make the assessment that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a difficult negotiator. Surely Donald Trump understands the challenges in a negotiation where both sides maintain a tough stance and will not put himself in a position to quickly reach an agreement at all costs.

According to analysts, Donald Trump's visit to India is a campaign rally in a state he wants to conquer in the 2020 presidential election, a state he wants to turn from "blue" - representing a Democratic victory, to "red" - the color of a Republican victory. Many people still say that Donald Trump's visit has great significance for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi - who is facing criticism both at home and abroad about the high unemployment rate, the Kashmir issue and the controversial law on citizenship rights for Muslims from three neighboring countries. However, compared to the leader who has been re-elected for a second term and is still firmly in his position, the significance of Donald Trump's visit is certainly greater, because the second term is the goal he needs to achieve.

Mr. Donald Trump had a successful visit to India. Photo: Yahoo News

There are currently about 4.5 million Indian Americans living in the United States. Although small in number, this is a fairly strong political force with some of the most educated and wealthy people in the country. But in the 2016 election, only 16% of Indian Americans voted for Donald Trump. Therefore, Donald Trump is hoping to make a difference in the election at the end of November.

In fact, in the 2016 election, Mr. Donald Trump won a rare victory in New Jersey - the center of Indian Americans, and this victory is a ray of hope for Mr. Donald Trump's efforts to "score points" with this group of voters to win in other important areas such as California, New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan...

In the US, although the Indian community is very diverse, those originating from the state of Gujarat still account for a large proportion. That is why Mr. Donald Trump did not choose to set foot in the capital New Dehli first like previous presidents, but went to Ahmedabad, Gujarat state. The appearance of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the words "You have never had a better friend as president than President Donald Trump" will certainly be a political boost, an image victory for Mr. Donald Trump before the upcoming election. Therefore, it is not without reason that many people commented that Mr. Donald Trump had a "successful" trip to a destination that did not face many difficulties but was easy to score political points.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomes President Donald Trump and his wife outside Hyderabad House. Photo: Getty Image