Trumping the odds

The US president visits India at a uniquely opportune moment

The one certainty about US President Donald Trump’s first visit to India is that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will organise a spectacular welcome at Ahmedabad and New Delhi. With China weakened by the outbreak of the coronavirus epidemic, this visit takes place at a uniquely opportune moment for India. The question is whether the two leaders, who tend to view negotiations as a zero-sum game, will be able to conclude even a limited mutually beneficial trade deal. The negotiations take place against the backdrop of a US president, fresh from a Senate acquittal from impeachment, seeking a second term in