‘Many countries are nervous, not us’: Jaishankar on possible impact of Trump’s return on India-US ties | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday said India is not among the countries that are “nervous” as Donald Trump is set to return to the White House after defeating Kamala Harris in the US presidential elections.
“I know a lot of countries are nervous about the US these days. Let’s be honest about that. We are not one of them,” Jaishankar said at the Silver Jubilee Celebrations of the Aditya Birla Group Scholarships Program in Mumbai.
Replying to a question about the reset of global power dynamics taking place amid the shift in the balance of power from the West to the East, Jaishankar noted: “Yes, there is a shift. We ourselves are an example of the If you look at our economic weight, our economic rankings, you look at even Indian companies, their reach, their presence, Indian professionals, which I was talking about. So there is no question of a rebalancing.’
He explained that this change was expected, saying, “And in my opinion it was inevitable, because as soon as these countries got their independence after the colonial period, they started making their own policy choices, and then they definitely had to grow.”
Nevertheless, Jaishankar pointed out that Western industrialized countries retain significant influence globally. “But remember one thing: the older, the Western economies, the older industrialized economies, they have not disappeared. They still count, they are still the most important investment goals. They are large markets, strong technology centers, hubs for innovation. So let’s acknowledge the shift, but let’s not get carried away and overdo it a little and distort our own understanding of the world,” the minister said.
When asked about the impact of the recent US presidential elections on India-US relations, Jaishankar highlighted Prime Minister Modi’s consistent ability to build strong ties with US presidents, from Barack Obama to Donald Trump to Joe Biden. “The Prime Minister was one of the first three calls that President Trump took. I think Prime Minister Modi has built a good rapport between several presidents. When he first visited DC, Obama was the president, then it was Trump, then it was Biden. You know, for him (PM Modi), there is something natural in the way he builds those relationships. So that helped a lot,” Jaishankar said in his reply.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris on November 5 secured his return to the White House. Prime Minister Modi’s subsequent phone call with ‘friend Donald Trump’ on November 6 included congratulations on both his presidential victory and the Republican Party’s success in Congress.
The Prime Minister acknowledged the strong confidence Americans placed in Trump’s leadership and vision. He recalled key events such as the Howdy Modi event in Houston in September 2019 and the Namaste Trump event in Ahmedabad in February 2020.
“Congratulations, my friend Donald Trump, on your historic election victory. As you build on the successes of your previous tenure, I look forward to renewing our collaboration to further strengthen the comprehensive global and strategic partnership between India and the US. Let us work together for the betterment of our people and promote global peace, stability and prosperity,” Prime Minister Modi shared on X.