Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States this week and signed a swathe of executive orders on day 1 of his term, making headlines across the world. He ended birthright citizenship, designated that the US has “only two genders”, pulled out of the Paris climate accord, quit the World Health Organisation, and renamed the Gulf of Mexico.

In India, newspapers published a series of editorials on the implications of Trump 2.0.

The Indian Express today had an editorial on “Delhi’s challenges”, saying India “must acknowledge that its relationship with the United States cannot continue as before”.

“This does not imply any inherent hostility from Trump towards India; however, Delhi now faces challenges stemming from Trump’s clear intent to fundamentally reshape America’s internal and external policies,” the editorial said, the three major areas of impact being open markets, open borders, and America’s relations with Russia and China.

“Traditionally, Delhi has sought to slow down the engagement with Washington when the US steps up its outreach to Beijing. This approach has been self-defeating. A proactive approach to building the partnership with the US will serve as the best safeguard against any changes in US-China ties,” it concluded.

A second editorial today was on the US’s withdrawal from the Paris accord, which it called “widely expected” even though it happened faster than anticipated. It also said there’s a heavy task ahead for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to “ensure that the setback caused by the exit of the world’s largest economy does not weaken the global resolve to scale up mitigation ambitions”.

The Telegraph in Kolkata, in an editorial this morning, said Trump “unleashed an avalanche of decisions that signpost just how fundamentally he hopes to reshape the country and its relationship with the world”.

“The silver lining so far is that Mr Trump has not followed through on his threats to impose heavy tariffs on India or on China,” the editorial said. “He appears to enjoy a strong relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and seems to want to give ties with China a shot. Nevertheless, the world needs to brace for a roller-coaster ride that is different from Mr Trump’s first term in only one way: the man at the helm has even less to lose if things go askew.”

The Tribune said “the much-dreaded turbulence has begun” and if “Trump is to be believed, America’s golden age has begun (any resemblance to India’s Amrit Kaal is purely coincidental)”.

“Last year ended as the planet’s hottest on record, and the target looks even more improbable now with the US jumping ship. But the US President couldn’t care less as he is himself adept at turning up the heat on any foe, real or imaginary. No wonder he has warned that 100 per cent tariffs will be imposed on countries of the BRICS bloc, which includes India, if they dare to dump the dollar,” the editorial said.

The Hindu, in an editorial titled “Inaugural drama”, said Trump’s slew of orders and directives “set the tenor for his administration’s policy agenda”, which “appears to be innately hostile to the progressive agenda of the Democrats”.

“...Mr Trump appears to be emboldened by the breadth of his election victory to allow unconventional, even bizarre, policy priorities to enter the proposed agenda, including ideas such as the takeover of the Panama Canal, the de-recognition of transgender rights, threatening Denmark with a plan to takeover Greenland, and the prospect of travel bans for certain countries,” The Hindu said. “Perhaps America is getting what it voted for.”

Hindustan Times, in an editorial called “Trump-shaped climate disaster”, said the United States withdrawing from the Paris accord “signals a return to fossil fuels, risking a worsening climate crisis”.

“The horrific reality of the climate crisis, it would seem, is less compelling for the Trump administration than the reality TV spectacle of mainlining contempt for global climate action and attempts to nail responsibility for global warming on the US,” the editorial said grimly. 

The Times of India published an editorial on January 21 suggesting that New Delhi’s “best strategy for Trump is to make India’s economy stronger”.

“Doomsayers are scaring already nervous techies and strategy bros about what’s to come. Will India become a lower priority in the US-China game?” it said. India’s “leverage” is that a “transactional president may be open to wooing via more American purchases by India”. 

“None of this is to deny that India faces strategic risks from an America that turns in ‘bold and controversial’ ways. What we are arguing is that battling on the backfoot is no way to take on Trumpian audacities,” it said.

A second editorial on January 22, headlined “Dunki danger”, warned that if “India cannot stop illegal emigration to US, those who went there by legal means will pay a high price”.

“Reports say GOI has now signalled that it will work with the Trump administration to bring back all Indian citizens who are in US illegally,” it said. “Hitherto, efforts at cracking down on ‘donkey or dunki routes’ have been inexcusably underwhelming…Proactive actions to reduce illegal emigration are critical to strengthening lawful pathways.”

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