Indian Americans concerned about India-US relations under Donald Trump: Survey

Under Donald Trump's second stint as US President, Indian Americans are concerned about US-India relations. Fifty-three per cent of Indian-Americans believe that US-India ties would have become stronger under a Kamala Harris administration, according to a new study published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. 1,206 Indian-American adult residents took part in the online survey.

Some of the key question asked in the survey were - 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 post the 2024 election?

The survey attempts to understand the point of view of the Indian-American diaspora around pivotal foreign policy issues during the two important elections that took place in both countries in 2024.

The survey revealed that Indian-Americans believe Joe Biden's administration handled US-India relations better than Donald Trump's first term.

Many saw the Kamala Harris administration as more favourable for US-India relations than that of Trump's second term.

Political polarisation was assessed in the survey too, 66 per cent Indian-American Republicans concurred that Trump was better for bilateral relations. On the other hand, only eight per cent of Democrats agreed that Trump would prove positive for India-US relations.

Regarding the US Department of Justice’s allegation of conspiracy by the Indian government to kill Khalistan separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on US soil, only around half the survey respondents were even aware of the story.

Fifty-one per cent of the repondents who were aware, believed it was not justified for India to take such actions. On the contrary, 26 per cent said India would have been justified in taking such action.

Twenty-three per cent responded, “Don’t know”.

Indian-Americans were divided on the Israel and Palestine issue. The opinions were divided along party lines. Democrats expressed greater empathy for Palestinians and Republicans were pro-Israel.

Biden was seen as pro-Israel by four in 10 respondents.

The per cent of Indian Americans who believe India is on the right path has gone up by 10 percentage point from 2020 to 47 per cent in 2024. The same people back Narendra Modi leadership as Prime Minister of the country.

Four in 10 respondents feel that India's 2024 election that did not give the Modi government a majority made the country more democratic.

Milan Vaishnav the co-author of the study, answering a question on if Indian Americans have a keen understanding of political landscape in both countries, or if their views were influenced by diaspora-driven narratives and media said, "Direct engagement with India is more limited, with foreign-born Indian Americans typically more involved than those born in the US," according to a BBC report.

He added that "One should not overlook the fact that the bonds of cultural connectivity remain quite strong, even with second and third-generation Indian Americans."