EAM Jaishankar calls Trump ‘American nationalist’, says India-US ties ‘good’

NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has expressed confidence in the stability of India-US ties, stressing that the bilateral ties are “good” and Prime Minister Narendra Modi shares “good” personal relations with US President Donald Trump.

During an interaction with students of Hansraj College, New Delhi, on ‘Youth for a Viksit Bharat’ on Thursday, Jaishankar called Trump an “American nationalist” and he expected that he will change many things. He also recalled his recent visit to US to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Donald Trump.

When asked whether he sees Trump as a friend or a threat to India’s interests, Jaishankar said, “I have just returned after being his guest. I attended his (Trump’s) swearing-in ceremony. I was given good treatment. This also has a message. But, seriously, I would call him an American nationalist. He thinks what needs to be done for America and because America for past 80 years has taken responsibility for whole world and he thinks unnecessarily we spent money on many things, we should not have done. We should have instead focused on the American people”.

NEW: “Donald Trump is totally out-of-syllabus,” jokes Dr. S Jaishankar pic.twitter.com/nuwjCQJ90d

— Shashank Mattoo (@MattooShashank) January 30, 2025

“Our issue today is, our relations with America are good. Modiji’s personal relations with Trump is good. When I look, what are their policies, there is nothing country to country that is negative about us. I am quite confident that, yes, he will change many things. Sometimes, we say out of syllabus and it is fully out of syllabus”, he said.

“We will have to conduct foreign policy out of syllabus and if you can conduct foreign policy out of syllabus, you know, I think it will work well. But, overall, he (Trump) visited India in 2020 and he has very good impressions about that visit. I have heard that he even today when he talks about visiting abroad, he refers to his India visit, saying I visited India, I was welcomed there with respect. So, these things matter. But, even interest wise, I feel there there may be some few issues where we may think a little bit differently, but in many areas, there will be, you know, at an country to country, there is lot which is in our shared interest,” he added.

When discussing the concept of “Viksit Bharat” (developed India), Jaishankar emphasised the critical role of youth in the nation’s future. “Without youth, there is no Viksit Bharat,” he remarked, stressing that India’s earlier development model had failed to keep pace with other Asian countries.

Nations like Japan, Korea, and China had moved ahead due to their modern approaches to governance and policy. “Earlier, the development model was not right”, Jaishankar noted, pointing to the need for a more forward-thinking mindset in India’s bureaucracy.

He went on to highlight the importance of Delhi, the nation’s capital, in setting the standards for India’s development. “Viksit Rajdhani, Viksit Delhi, is central to Vikasit Bharat,” he asserted.

On the subject of working with PM Modi, Jaishankar spoke highly of his leadership style, describing him as a “tough” and “motivational” boss. “I like him as a boss because he is tough. He is guided by what the country requires”, Jaishankar explained.

He also noted that Modi gives his team the freedom to execute their work. Jaishankar cited the successful evacuation of Indians from Ukraine as a prime example of Modi’s leadership, emphasising that it was not just about giving orders, but about motivating the team to work diligently. “You have to motivate the team so that people don’t feel that they are doing things because someone told them to,” Jaishankar added. (ANI)