Trump, Modi rekindle bonhomie after a 4-year pause

Trump warmly welcomed Modi back to the White House, emphasizing their friendship and shared interests, while acknowledging existing diplomatic challenges.

When Donald Trump greeted Narendra Modi with a warm hug at the entrance of West Wing on Thursday evening eastern, the American President told the Indian Prime Minister, “We have missed you. We have missed you a lot.”

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House(Reuters)

When Trump gifted Modi a book, titled Our Journey Together, he showed him various images of them together, especially from their public rallies in Ahmedabad and Houston, and inscribed a note, “Mr Prime Minister, You are Great!” Trump had captioned the pictures, describing Modi in many of them as his friend, and showing off the crowd size, a detail close to his heart, and clearly one of the reasons he respects the Prime Minister is his ability to attract masses.

And when Trump took the stage to introduce Modi to the White House press corps and live audiences across the world, he said, “I am thrilled to welcome the Prime Minister of India, my friend, Narendra Modi, back to the White House. We spent a lot of time here and a lot of time in India, and he is a very special man. Prime Minister, it is a pleasure to extend to you the same hospitality that you showed Melania and myself when we travelled to your beautiful country five years ago” Trump added that it was hard to believe that it was that long ago, for it seemed like it was only yesterday and recalled the world’s largest cricket stadium, a reference to the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad.

For his part, when Modi addressed Trump, in his opening remarks at the Oval Office, he said he was very happy to see him back in the White House. He said he was very happy to be able to work with Trump again for the next four years. “As soon as I came, President Trump reminded me of Ahmedabad stadium. Both Howdy Modi and Namaste Trump were two such mega events whose echoes resound in every corner of India even today.”

Modi said there was one particular trait that he admired about Trump and learnt from. “Trump always keeps national interest supreme and like him, I keep the national interest of India above everything else.” And he was very grateful to his “good friend” and resolved to march together to deepen ties. And in subsequent public remarks, the emphasis on Trump being a friend, a dear friend, was rarely missed.

Rhetoric is a part of diplomacy. Body language is something leaders are particularly conscious of. Small gestures and big words are often rehearsed for optics. And there is little doubt that diplomatic managers on both sides have an interest in amplifying the personal connect between their principals. But diplomatic spin can only go so far, before reality creeps back in. And it was clear, as this reporter closely witnessed Modi and Trump interact in the Oval Office and then at the press conference, amid hugs and laughs and smiles and pats, that there was something more genuine at play.

Both leaders appeared to know each other’s strengths, what the other person valued, and what made them popular with their home audiences. They respected the democratic choice made by the citizens of the other country. They clearly had a relationship that was based on past memories, but also appeared acutely aware of today’s realities and potential for the future. And they knew that this was not trouble free, for their countries were at odds on key issues even if they had deep convergences on others.

And this is where the Modi-Trump personal bonhomie appears to have played a part in Thursday’s diplomatic summit, where both knew where the other was coming from, knew how much they could push and what the other needed, and recognised that signalling was important for their domestic systems, friends and adversaries.

The Queens boy-turned-Manhattan real estate billionaire-turned-celebrity television host-turned-President-turned-felon-turned President and the Sangh pracharak-turned-party organiser-turned-state chief minister-turned Prime Minister do not have a lot in common. But they clearly have a sense of their place in history, awareness of their duty to advance their respective national interests, and have an ability to work through differences and smile through it all. And that is how personal ties perhaps help in diplomatic statecraft.