A survey has found that while Indian-Americans remain optimistic about India’s future, many are concerned about the impact of a potential second Donald Trump presidency on US-India relations.
Conducted by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and YouGov in October, the 2024 Indian-American Survey examined the political attitudes of Indian Americans.
With over five million Indian-origin residents in the US, the survey explored key questions: “How do Indian Americans view former president Joe Biden’s handling of US-India ties? Do they see Donald Trump as a better option? And how do they assess India’s trajectory after the 2024 election?” the BBC reported.
The findings are based on a nationally representative online survey of 1,206 Indian-American adults.
Indian Americans largely viewed the Biden administration’s handling of US-India relations more favourably than Donald Trump’s first term, with political affiliation playing a key role in their assessments.
India and the US held key elections last year as their ties deepened, though some challenges emerged. Reports of an alleged assassination plot linked to Delhi and a US federal case involving businessman Gautam Adani added to the complexities in bilateral relations, the report added.
Indian Americans largely viewed the Biden administration’s handling of US-India relations more favourably than Donald Trump’s first term, with political affiliation playing a key role in their assessments.
A hypothetical Kamala Harris administration was also seen as more beneficial for bilateral ties than a second Trump term, according to the survey.
Among Indian-American Republicans, 66 percent believed Trump was better for US-India relations, while only 8 percent of Democrats shared this view. Conversely, 50 percent of Indian-American Democrats favoured Biden’s approach, compared to just 15 percent of Republicans.
With a majority of Indian Americans aligning with the Democratic Party, Biden held an overall edge in perception.
During their February meeting at the White House, Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised each other’s leadership. However, Trump criticised India’s high trade tariffs, calling them a “big problem.”
Indian Americans mostly favour Biden or Harris for US-India ties but continue to strongly support Modi in India, BBC added.
Milan Vaishnav, co-author of the study, cautioned against assuming that Indian Americans’ participation in events like ‘Howdy, Modi!’ signified strong support for Donald Trump.
“We should not generalise from one event or even one segment of the Indian American population. More than 50,000 Indian Americans gathered at ‘Howdy, Modi!’ first and foremost to see Modi, not Trump. Recall that Trump was added at a later date,” BBC quoted Vaishnav as saying.