India’s relationship with Donald Trump has evolved from admiration to a wake-up call, prompting a critical reassessment of its diplomatic and economic strategies in the face of shifting global dynamics.
India once had a love affair with Donald Trump. Long before the rest of the world figured him out, Indians were cheering his every move. At one point, he was more popular in India than in much of the United States. His bluster, bravado, and disregard for political correctness resonated deeply in a country burdened by colonial bureaucracy, outdated laws, and a culture steeped in red tape. Trump’s instinct to bulldoze through institutions was not only seen as refreshing but also necessary.
He was not perceived merely as another politician; he was embraced as a wrecking ball aimed at a system that had long ceased to serve its purpose. India, eager for its own disruptors, welcomed him as a kindred spirit. The stadium rallies, choreographed slogans, and orchestrated pageantry may have appeared theatrical, but they reflected a genuine belief that boldness could substitute for reform, and disruption could shortcut progress.
However, this admiration soon turned into disillusionment. A series of tariffs, visa caps, immigration crackdowns, and punitive trade threats emerged, leaving India, which had positioned itself as a respectful partner adhering to global norms, on the defensive. The abrupt shift was jarring, but in hindsight, it may have served as a crucial catalyst for re-evaluating long-held assumptions that had gone unchallenged for too long.
Trump was never swayed by principles or diplomacy; he responded to flattery, spectacle, and theatrics. The Pakistanis understood this dynamic early on and skillfully engaged him, offering symbolic wins like a Nobel Peace Prize nomination and effusive praise for his social media antics. These gestures garnered them attention without incurring significant costs. In contrast, India clung to formality, protocol, and outdated instincts, believing that rational behavior would prevail.
What might have worked better was a Bollywood-style spectacle. Imagine a Pulitzer for his tweets, a Nobel for attempting peace in South Asia (or at least for trying in all caps), an Oscar for best improvisation in geopolitical drama, and perhaps even an IIFA for lifetime achievement in melodrama—presented by Amitabh Bachchan with dramatic flair and thunderous applause. While absurd, such an approach might have resonated more effectively with Trump, whose absurd often outperformed the rational.
This moment calls for a re-examination of assumptions across various domains. There is a pressing need to reform existing systems and policies. In business, for instance, entrepreneurs still navigate overlapping regulations and outdated procedures. Scientists are often hindered not by the complexity of their research but by the bureaucratic hurdles required to secure funding, approval, or application. Starting a business frequently demands not just innovation but also the ability to maneuver through licenses, inspections, and gatekeepers. Scaling a business requires even more: deep networks, institutional patience, and a working knowledge of which rules to quietly bypass. While the outside world recognizes the scale and talent India offers, many of its own citizens remain trapped in systems designed to manage scarcity rather than unlock abundance.
It is not a shortage of talent that hinders progress; it is a surplus of red tape.
This moment presents an opportunity to clear the air by eliminating redundant licenses, enforcing real-time single-window clearances, and implementing presumptive approvals so that silence from a regulator becomes a green light rather than a dead end. Tariffs that increase the cost of advanced manufacturing and research tools should be abolished, and clarity must be introduced to export-import procedures still mired in a control-era mindset.
State governments should be empowered to compete not only on slogans but also on actual performance metrics—startup outcomes, business registration timelines, research and development output, and regulatory speed. Private universities and research institutions need to be liberated from micromanagement to scale without seeking permission. Partnerships between industry and academia should be expedited. Modernization and transparency in patents, technology transfer, and procurement processes are essential.
India does not need to look outward for validation. It possesses the data, scale, engineering expertise, and ambition to lead from within. Health, agriculture, climate, manufacturing, and mobility—these datasets alone represent a strategic resource waiting to be unlocked. Coupled with an unmatched pool of ambitious entrepreneurs, builders, and scientists, India can emerge not just as a participant in the global innovation race but as a driver of it. Companies like Vionix Biosciences recognize this potential in India—not merely its scale but also its scientific and operational depth capable of delivering breakthroughs that the West struggles to achieve due to a lack of talent.
Trump may have inadvertently done India a favor. He exposed the fragility of its diplomatic assumptions and reminded the nation that performance must be matched by persuasion, and execution must be complemented by storytelling. India has been handed lemons—by Trump, by its own bureaucracy, and by the inconsistencies of the global market. The time has come not to complain, delay, or tread cautiously, but to transform these challenges into opportunities: to turn those lemons into lemonade, scale the process, bottle it with confidence, and serve it to the world as proof of what is possible when ambition meets execution.
Source: Original article