As Donald Trump became the 45th President of the USA after a hard-fought electoral battle with Hillary Clinton, it is pertinent to note his views on India and what connection he has with the country, if any.
According to a report, Trump sought the assistance of India and other nations to deal with a “semi-unstable” nuclear Pakistan.
On November 6, 2016, Trump warned US tech behemoth IBM of levying a 35 per cent tax on it and other companies for moving jobs to overseas countries like India.
“IBM laid off 500 workers in Minneapolis and moved their jobs to India and other countries. A Trump administration will stop the jobs from leaving America, and we will stop the jobs from leaving Minnesota,” said Trump.
There is a fear therefore that the thriving call centre industry in India may be hit as a major portion of jobs that are outsourced comes from the US.
However, on January 25, 2016, Trump had voiced support for India but said that it was not getting recognized the way it should. “By the way, India is doing great. Nobody talks about it. I have big jobs going up in India. But India is doing great.”
Trump was reacting to a 2007 interview where he had said, “We’ve gone from a tremendous power that is respected all over the world to somewhat of a laughing stock and all of a sudden, people are talking about China and India and other places.”
In September this year, Trump had praised Hindu culture and its contribution.
“The Hindu community has made fantastic contributions to world civilisation and to American culture and we look forward to celebrating our shared values of free enterprise, hard work, family values, and a strong American foreign policy,” Trump said in a statement.
Trump’s business venture, ‘The Trump Organisation’ is linked with two major luxury real estate projects in Mumbai and Pune.
The twin residential projects called Trump Towers involve tie-ups with the Lodha Group in Mumbai and with the Panchshil Group in Pune.
“It has been my desire for many years to be involved in a great project in Mumbai, and it is my honor to bring the Trump lifestyles to the citizens of this truly global metropolis,” he had said in 2014.
The Trump Tower Mumbai starting from $1.6 million dollars (Rs 10 crore at current exchange rate) features three- and four- bedroom apartments, having automatic toilets and indoor Jacuzzis.
Covering two blocks of 23 storeys each, the Trump Towers in Pune house 46 single floor residences. Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor and his son Ranbir reportedly bought apartments for Rs 13 crore in 2015.