There's Trump, and then there's America

It's (imperfectly) understandable that as products and users of social media, we have been impressed by Donald Trump's trademark petulance and style of ALL CAPS functioning. The man is the archetypal product of social media himself. But as with things when applied to oneself, our admiration for his bull-in-a-Beijing shop brashness goes down quite a few notches when it's targeted towards India. And that seems to be in play now, as the leader of the not-so-free market world - of which India is part of too - threatens another tranche of tariffs for 'buying massive amounts of oil' from Russia and selling it for 'big profits'. 'Pot. Kettle. Black.' could well be India's voice message on its answering machine.

It's been a while since the Trump regime pitched its tent in January this year. By now, countries have - or, at any rate, should have - got more than a fair understanding of how its algorithm works: extreme short-termism of the hashtag kind. While everybody loves (read: is entertained by) a good disruption, Trump's haggler-on-the-roof method is trying. It also has diminishing returns, especially when aimed at countries with substantial leverage like China.

Trump's way of doing business is also understandable. The man is 79 years old, and it's 1,189 days away from when Americans go a-voting again. By November 7, 2028, the consequences of Trump tariffs will become evident not only to the world but also to Americans. Thus the hurry and geopolitical speed dating. Reacting to Trump's latest cage-rattle this week, India has been able to distinguish hug from haggle. Trade with the US, till now also a conduit for trading with the world especially in the tech sphere, can now be treated as one shop among many on the high street. It would be playing into Trump's hands to react 'emoji-cally'. Instead, GoI should adopt a clear-headed, a la carte approach, and aim to widen the marketplace while taking stock of India's own inventory. After all, Mall USA is not going away, not even after November 2028. Till then, strengthen our nets. There's other fish in the sea.