Donald Trump not coming for the Republic Day Parade might have saved India the blushes
Given that Donald Trump would have taken his iPhone into the Republic Day Parade, there is every likelihood that he would have tweeted the following word 20 minutes into the parade: ‘Boring’. The US President does not mince his words and while factual accuracy and grandiose exaggeration are a problem at times, his turning down the trip saves the Republic Day Parade as we know it for another few years. Indeed, had Donald Trump accepted the invitation, the Indian authorities might have found themselves forced to cut back on the parade so that Modi got his photo-opportunity with Trump. Now, the search for a convenient international leader who can quietly sit through two hours can start afresh. While on the topic, can someone please explain why State tableau are still a thing in the age of the Internet? Of course, we must not rule out the possibility that the United States turned down the invitation worried about the impact that the toxic air that hangs around Delhi might have had on the US President. Who knows, maybe his tweets and public statements might have carried that extra zing if he had come to Delhi. And what would he have demanded when it came to Indian tariffs? Lower tariffs on imports of American motorcycles, cars and agricultural produce? And how would the Indian Government have reacted to that? And what if Trump had pullet out one of his trademark put-downs, like the time he brushed a flake of dandruff off French President Emmanuel Macron's jacket, on Narendra Modi? One thing is certain — the Congress social media team would have had their content sorted for a month if Trump had said yes.
It is more likely than not that Trump will visit India at least once before his term as US President is over. The aim of the Indian establishment during any such visit ought to be to ensure it is as low-key as possible and without any Trumpian moments. His attending the Republic Day Parade might have been viewed in some quarters as a diplomatic masterstroke but the chances of it turning into a diplomatic disaster were equally strong. even. We may just have dodged a bullet.