US Sutra | Dealing with Trump: What India must and must not do

The article argues that India must rethink its diplomatic approach toward Donald Trump, whose seemingly erratic rhetoric is a deliberate negotiating strategy rather than madness. Trump uses unpredictability, media dominance, and extreme positions to create leverage and extract concessions, often misleading those who take him too literally or dismiss him outright. India, as an emerging power, should avoid emotional reactions, personal diplomacy, and complacency based on assumed strategic convergence. Instead, it must adopt analytical sophistication, focus on national interest, and engage Trump’s transactional “America First” stance with clear-eyed, flexible, and hard-nosed negotiations suited to a rapidly changing global order.