After Trump’s midterm setback, eyes on Washington over India-US ties

New Delhi will be keeping a close eye on the US midterm election results, in which the Democrats handed Donald Trump’s Republican Party a heavy defeat. The results are on expected lines, though the margin exceeded forecasts, which had favoured Democrats to win both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

In recent times, India has watched closely the White House’s approach to tariffs, Pakistan and MAGA policies. After the midterm results, all eyes will be on the road ahead for two of the world's largest democracies.

President Trump has sided with Pakistan’s Field Marshal Asim Munir, claimed credit for the Operation Sindoor ceasefire between New Delhi and Islamabad, and once called India a "dead economy" (subsequently, he praised India's growth story earlier this year during a TV interview).

Besides, the Trump administration has threatened India with huge tariffs for buying Russian oil, and then itself struck a deal with Russia to buy diesel ahead of the midterms. The constant pressure on H1B visas and Indian student visas also distanced New Delhi from Washington.

The ceasefire claim was one of the biggest irritants. President Trump used social media to claim credit for the Operation Sindoor ceasefire shortly after 5.30 pm IST on May 10, 2025. He later claimed that he had virtually stopped the war from escalating to a nuclear dimension. While Pakistan praised President Trump for the ceasefire and recommended him for the Nobel Peace Prize, New Delhi maintained it was Islamabad that sought a ceasefire amid an Indian offensive. The facts are as follows:

*The Pakistan Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) called his Indian counterpart at 3.35 pm on May 10, 2025, and requested a ceasefire. The same DGMO had called at 9.30 am that day to say there would be retaliation if the Indian Navy attacked Karachi harbour.

*After the ceasefire was agreed, external affairs minister S Jaishankar asked foreign secretary Vikram Misri to announce it immediately after informing the Indian army chief. The army chief wanted time till 5 pm so that he could inform his battle formations, which were in the heat of battle.

*In the meantime, Pakistan informed Washington of the ceasefire agreement, and, seizing the opportunity, President Trump went on social media before India could make its announcement.

*The nuclear dimension never came into play during the entire conflict, which was India’s retaliation for the massacre of 26 civilians, mostly Hindu tourists, in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam.

Even though Trump called PM Modi his "friend", he sided with Field Marshal Munir and PM Shehbaz Sharif, and used Islamabad as a mediator for talks with Iran.

Then, in another significant move, Washington publicly backed Pakistan’s charge that terrorism against it was emanating from Afghanistan. It was quite clear to New Delhi that Trump’s ties with his "favourite Field Marshal" were detrimental to Indian interests, as they would lead to the upgradation of US-manufactured aerial platforms in Pakistan’s military.

The US has been helping Pakistan mitigate its economic crisis while routinely parroting the anti-terrorism line with India. The Quad summit, which India was to host in 2025, has yet to take place.

India was virtually held responsible for the Ukraine war for buying Russian oil, even though New Delhi maintained it would always act in the interest of its citizens.

India wants an end to both the Ukraine and Iran wars, and it has no intention of gloating over Trump’s electoral setback. After the midterm outcome and amid a shifting political landscape in the US, the ball is in Washington’s court on how to put India-US ties back on track.