The Reality Check

India has responded with restraint to Trump's nasty remarks, but some give and take on the trade deal is the only way out

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Donald Trump dominated the 2024 presidential race with a master plan of political incorrectness, using the art of the insult to brand political opponents and bash the media all the way to the White House. He has kept that tradition going even after becoming president for the second time. But even by his own abysmally poor standards of public behavior, it was shocking to hear his rant about India on Wednesday and Thursday. No one expects any head of state to talk so disparagingly about any other nation, especially about the world's largest democracy. "Obnoxious," "dead economy," etc. are nothing but gutter-level politics. Trump's poor behavior becomes even more evident from the restrained way in which India has responded—no name-calling, only a firm assertion that the government will make sure national interests are protected. Preserving self-interest demands tactful diplomacy—something in which Trump needs a crash course.