Trump, Modi have profound respect for each other; agree on China, terror'

WASHINGTON: Former US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have a "profound mutual respect" for each other, both agree on countering the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and defeating terrorism, and the "Washington establishment" doesn't like either of them, Kash Patel, a senior adviser to Trump, has said.

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Patel, who served in senior roles in the National Security Council and Pentagon during the Trump presidency and travelled with the then President to India in 2020, also said that Trump was not an isolationist but.

believed in US global leadership while taking care of Americans first. Patel said Trump's strength is his unpredictability, his commitment to the Indo-Pacific will grow in the next term if elected, and he will continue to work with allies in Europe but will expect them to pay their fair share to sustain the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato).

In an exclusive interview to HT, in the wake of Trump's Republican primary wins in Iowa and New Hampshire and edge over Joe Biden in opinion polls, Patel clarified that Trump supports legal immigration and hinted that Indian talent will be welcome, particularly in emerging tech domains.

Patel, who is billed to get a top national security position if Trump is elected, also offered an outline of Trump's governance road map, including his intent to dismiss who they see as compromised federal employees, take on lobbyists, and set up a declassification authority to release documents on an everyday basis.

But it was on India and Modi that Patel was most effusive, including offering his support for the Ram Temple and criticising the Joe Biden administration for not doing enough to sustain ties with India, a charge that many may contest given Biden's deep engagement with India over the past three years in a variety of domains.