Indian-Americans hopeful about India’s future but wary of US-India ties under Trump: Survey
Washington: Indian-Americans are optimistic about India’s future but have growing concerns over US-India relations following Donald Trump’s second term as president, a new survey has found.
The 2024 Indian-American survey, conducted by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and YouGov in October, examined political perspectives among the Indian-American community.
It found that while India and the US strengthened ties during key elections last year, tensions emerged over issues such as trade and allegations of an Indian-backed assassination plot on American soil.
The survey, which included responses from 1,206 Indian-American adults, found that most view the Biden administration as more favorable for US-India relations compared to Trump’s first term. A potential Kamala Harris presidency was also seen as better for bilateral ties than Trump’s second term.
However, partisan divisions were evident. While 66% of Indian-American Republicans believe Trump was better for US-India relations, only 8% of Democrats agreed. Meanwhile, 50% of Indian-American Democrats favored Biden, compared to just 15% of Republicans. Since most Indian-Americans lean Democratic, this gave Biden an overall advantage.
In February, Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised each other’s leadership during a meeting at the White House, but Trump criticized India’s high trade tariffs, calling them a “big problem.”
Controversy over alleged murder conspiracy
The survey also found that awareness about the alleged Indian plot to kill a separatist leader in the US was limited, with only half of respondents familiar with the case.
In October, the US charged a former Indian intelligence officer with conspiring to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a US-based proponent of an independent Sikh state, Khalistan. This marked the first time India was directly accused of involvement in such an act. The Indian government has denied the allegations but is cooperating with the US investigation.
In January, an Indian panel investigating the accusations recommended legal action against an unidentified former intelligence agent.
A narrow majority of survey respondents said such an action would not be justified, adding that they would hold the same view if the situation were reversed and the US was implicated in a similar case.