Half of Indians hate Trump’s trade war policies, but increasingly trust him on other ‘world affairs’

As US President Donald Trump nears the end of his first term in office, his popularity among Indians is soaring, but the same cannot be said about his protectionist trade policies, which enjoy little fanfare.

On the heels of Trump’s first state visit to India early next week, the Pew polling firm has released new data on Indians’ attitudes toward the US president, showing that while his confidence rating in the realm of world affairs has jumped over four-fold since he took office in 2016 – from 14 to 56 percent – Indians are increasingly skeptical about his aggressive approach to trade.

©  Pew Research Center

Nearly half of those surveyed panned Trump’s penchant for tariffs, with 48 percent voicing disapproval. The figure likely reflects a burgeoning trade spat that’s erupted between Washington and New Delhi over the last year, which has seen both nations slap new duties on each other’s goods, and the US even dropping India from its Generalized System of Preferences, revoking a number of tariff exemptions.

With Trump dashing hopes of inking a major trade deal with New Delhi during his upcoming visit – stating that a “big deal” would only come later – it remains to be seen whether the two sides will find a way out of the tariff row anytime soon.

Pew’s data also shows that Indians are increasingly willing to share their thoughts about the president one way or another. When asked about their views in 2016, just shy of 70 percent replied “I don’t know” or refused to answer, but that number has declined by nearly half, to 30 percent. Those affiliated with India’s ruling BJP were both more likely to approve of Trump, and to offer up an opinion in the first place. However, supporters of the BJP as well as the opposition Congress Party were equally likely to reject the US president’s trade policies.

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