In this episode of Worldview, we discuss what will a rematch between Biden and Trump in the US presidential election mean for US Foreign Policy, geopolitics and India. As US democrats and republicans each hand US President Joseph Biden and former US President Donald Trump wins in the Super Tuesday votes, a rematch between the two seems likely. What does that mean for US Foreign Policy, for geopolitics and for India? We will weigh up the differences. Hello and Welcome to WorldView at The Hindu with me Suhasini Haidar. We will also speak to former US National Security Council official Lisa Curtis up ahead. But first the US crossed a major milestone in its election year calendar- with Super Tuesday on March 5- a day that comes exactly 8 months before the Presidential election, due on November 5 this year. “They call it Super Tuesday for a reason……that nobody has been able to do for a long time” said Trump. President Joseph Biden did not give a speech on Super Tuesday, saying in a statement that the results gave Americans a choice between going forwards with him or backwards with Donald Trump. In his State of the Union speech in US Congress, he took a further swipe at Trump. “Now my predecessor a Republican said to Putin “Do whatever you want”. A former President bowing down to a Russian leader is outrageous dangerous and unacceptable” Clearly global events and foreign policy will be a key part of this year’s US elections, and it is important to keep an eye on how the race goes for that reason. Now there’s less buzz about this election for a number of reasons: 1. Both contenders have been Presidents for 1 term each- Trump from 2016-2020 and Biden from 2020-2024 2. At 81 Biden is the oldest US President, and at 77 Trump is the second oldest in the race- and concerns about their mental and physical health overshadow other concerns 3. Neither candidate has any major challengers- and one should probably have appeared by this point in the race. Trump’s last rival Nikki Haley bowed out of the race this weeks, winning only 2 state elections- Vermont and DC. What are the key issues for India when it comes to Biden vs Trump policies? Both sides have prominent candidates who happen to be Indian-American- US VP Kamala Harris is on the ticket, and while former Governor and former US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley has bowed out, Trump has kept Vivek Ramaswamy, who dropped out earlier and even Tulsi Gabbard, who is not of Indian origin but identifies as a Hindu-American as possible running mates. 1.TRADE AND INVESTMENT 2. DEFENCE TIES 3. PAKISTAN AND CHINA 4.HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES 5.IMMIGRATION & DIASPORA WV Take: The election of the US President this year doesn’t ignite as much interest for a number of reasons- esp. the fact that the candidates have already been in the position before, and whoever wins will only get one term- 4 years in office, and has a limited ability to take forward their policies this point on. While India has a good record of dealing with both, there’s no doubt that there is more predictability with President Biden, as opposed to the social media surprises that President Trump dealt out- a Trump administration however will take less of an interest in concerns about India’s democracy, human rights and press freedoms. The most significant part of their policies for India will no doubt be how US ties with China fare, as that will decide many developments in the region. WV Reading Recommendations : 1. The Internationalists: The Fight to Restore American Foreign Policy After Trump by Alexander Ward 2. America in Retreat Foreign Policy under Donald Trump by Mel Gurtov 3. Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America by Maggie Haberman 4. Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance 5. A Lot of People Are Saying: The New Conspiracism and the Assault on Democracy by Nancy L. Rosenblum and Russell Muirhead 6. The Persuaders: At the Front Lines of the Fight for Hearts, Minds, and Democracy by Anand Giridharadas 7. Open Embrace: India-US Ties : India-US Ties in a Divided World by Varghese K. George 00:00 - 03:15 - Intro 03:16 - 04:25 - Why there’s less buzz about this election 04:26 - 07:04 - Key differences between Trump and Biden 07:05 - 09:26 - Key differences for India 09:27 - 12:42 - Interview with Lisa Curtis 12:43 - 13:38 - WV Take 13:39 - 15:30 - Reading Recommendation Script and Presentation: Suhasini Haidar Production: Gayatri Menon & Kanishkaa Balachandran #biden #trump