Author: Lalit K Jha
Washington, D.C., Oct 22: When President Donald Trump hosted a Diwali celebration in the Oval Office on Tuesday, the most dazzling light wasn’t the brass lamp on the table — it was the combined market capitalisation of the guests standing around it. In attendance were some of the most powerful Indian-origin business leaders in the world: Arvind Krishna of IBM, Shantanu Narayen of Adobe, Sanjay Mehrotra of Micron Technology, and Nikesh Arora of Palo Alto Networks. Between them, their companies are valued at more than $1.5 trillion and employ hundreds of thousands of Americans. Trump, who thrives on optics, knew…
Washington, September 22: Confusion and chaos gripped Indian tech workers and travellers over the weekend, with flights disrupted and rumours spreading, after President Donald Trump ordered a $100,000 surcharge on new H-1B visa petitions. US agencies scrambled to reassure workers and companies that the fee will apply only to future applications, not to current visa holders. Trump on Friday signed an executive order restricting the entry of certain non-immigrant workers, citing “systemic abuse” of the H-1B visa program. The order directs that new employment-based petitions must be denied unless accompanied by an additional payment of $100,000. According to guidance from…
Washington, Sept 22: President Donald Trump’s Executive Order imposing a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa applications has triggered a wave of alarm from lawmakers, business leaders, immigrant groups, and Indian American organisations, who warn that the unprecedented measure could cripple US innovation, disrupt families, and spark an exodus of global talent to rival economies. The White House has defended the proclamation as a way to safeguard American jobs from foreign competition. But critics argue that it is a short-sighted policy that risks weakening US competitiveness in the very industries of technology, research and higher education that drive growth. The…
Washington, September 18: A new study warns that anti-Indian racism on X (formerly Twitter) surged dramatically this summer, with immigration-focused narratives and incident-driven hate posts amassing more than 281 million views. The Washington-based Centre for the Study of Organised Hate (CSOH) says the platform has become a fertile ground for xenophobia, exposing Indian and South Asian communities in the United States to heightened risks of harm. Between July and early September, hostile narratives portraying Indians as “job stealers” and unwanted migrants dominated discourse on X, according to the report, Anti-Indian Racism on X: Causes, Trends, and Narratives, released on Tuesday…
Washington, Aug 21: India’s Ambassador to the United States Vinay Mohan Kwatra has escalated his outreach to US lawmakers as new tariffs on Indian imports take effect, aiming to secure bipartisan cover on trade, energy, and defence. On Wednesday and over the last few days, Kwatra met with Senator John Cornyn and Reps. Andy Barr, Marc Veasey, Pete Sessions, Warren Davidson, Baumgartner, and Adam Smith — expanding the outreach from trade and energy to defence cooperation with the Armed Services Committee. The move comes as the Trump administration is preparing to slap 50% sanctions on Indian imports beginning August 27. During these meetings, Kwatra pressed India’s case for fair trade, energy security, and investment…
Washington, D.C., August 15: US President Donald Trump, ahead of a high-stakes meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska, lauded the Russian leader as a “smart guy” while warning he would face “economically severe” consequences if he refuses to engage in ending the war in Ukraine. “Look, he’s a smart guy. Been doing it for a long time, but so have I been doing it for a long time, and here we are with president,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. He said there was “a good respect level on both sides” and expressed optimism that “something’s going to come…
By Lalit K Jha Washington, D.C., July 31: President Donald Trump’s decision to impose a 25% tariff on Indian imports from August 1 has been described by leading US experts and officials as a serious blow to bilateral relations and a setback to India’s ambitions to emergeas a global trade alternative to China. Announced via Trump’s Truth Social platform, the move follows stalled trade negotiations and persistent US concerns over India’s trade barriers and its close ties with Russia. The President accused India of maintaining “the most strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary Trade Barriers of any country” and criticised New Delhi…
By Lalit K Jha Washington, DC, July 30: In a surprise announcement that could upend US-India trade relations, President Donald Trump on Wednesday declared that India will face a 25% tariff and additional penalties beginning August 1, citing high tariffs, restrictive trade barriers, and India’s continued energy and defence ties with Russia. The announcement—made on Trump’s social media platform, Truth Social—marks one of his most pointed criticisms of India since returning to office in January this year. “While India is our friend, we have, over the years, done relatively little business with them because their tariffs are far too high—among…
