India entered 2025 optimistic about what a second Donald Trump presidency would bring for the relationship between the two nations. Public opinion in India was far more positive about Trump’s return to the White House than in many American partner and ally countries, with one survey conducted by the European Council on Foreign Relations finding 75 percent of the country’s population to be “Trump Welcomers.” India’s external affairs minister sounded a sanguine note about what New Delhi expected from Trump, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished his “heartiest congratulations” to “my friend Donald Trump” on X. While tensions over trade and immigration were foreseen, most observers believed they would be manageable.
