Narendra Modi’s recent visit to a cold and wet Washington to meet Donald Trump lacked the flash and pageantry of previous engagements between the two leaders. It was an understated affair—as one would expect for a working visit, as opposed to the pomp and circumstance of a state visit. Modi met various senior U.S. figures at Blair House before going to the White House for a meeting and press conference with Trump. There were no diaspora connects, joint appearances at massive rallies, or star-studded galas.
And yet, the visit was as successful as it was subdued—mainly because it underscored the strength of a partnership that’s expanded exponentially for several decades. Modi was just the fourth world leader to get face time with the new president. The previous three—the premiers of Israel and Japan and the king of Jordan—are all close U.S. allies. Modi received more access than all of them, getting meetings with Trump and about half a dozen top Trump officials and confidants. This says something about how the new Trump administration views Modi and U.S. partnership with India.
In terms of outcomes, one might not have expected much: The Trump administration hasn’t even been in office a month, and many senior India-focused posts remain unfilled. And yet, the two sides announced a new initiative for strengthening the partnership, dubbed the “US-India COMPACT (Catalyzing Opportunities for Military Partnership, Accelerated Commerce & Technology) for the 21st century.”
A long and detailed joint statement lays out plans for cooperation in defence, trade and investment, energy security, tech and innovation, multilateral engagements, and people-to-people ties. The document reads like something from the Biden administration, albeit with some notable omissions (nothing on clean energy and climate change cooperation, a major Biden priority) and rebrands (the initiative on critical and emerging technologies, or iCET, now has the clunkier name Transforming the Relationship Utilizing Strategic Technology, or TRUST). The key takeaway is there will be ample continuity between Biden and Trump on India policy.
