US, India deepen bilateral bonds, despite deal disappointment

ECONOMICS and geopolitics drove the bilateral meeting agenda between the world's two largest democracies during Donald Trump's two-day trip to India this week, yet political hoopla was also prominent between the US president and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

With the pair of populist leaders recently suffering political setbacks at home, the "Namaste Trump" rally in Ahmedabad on Monday in front of 100,000 people was a remarkable public diplomacy event which reciprocated the "Howdy, Modi!" event in Houston last year.

Mr Trump must be particularly grateful for the "victory lap" tour mindful of the multi-million-strong Indian-American voter base in the United States before election day in November. In this sense, the visit was morale boosting for both Mr Modi and Mr Trump, despite it coming amid the worst violence in Delhi for a decade in deadly Hindu-Muslim communal clashes.