Par for the Trump golf course: Tariffs rising, tempers simmering, its time for a round with Donald

Traditional diplomacy doesn't seem to work with Donald Trump. So, how about a different play? Can a few rounds of golf with the president on his private golf course organised and paid for by India's friends and benefactors help clear the fog?

That's the idea behind next month's US-India golf championship at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, when business luminaries, cabinet members and who's who of the Indian American community are expected to gather to tee off and have some hole-hearted fun. Only 52 slots are on offer, making it a coveted ticket. A black-tie dinner for 150 people is planned for the evening.

Shantanu Narayen of Adobe, Raj Subramaniam of FedEx, and Arvind Krishna of IBM are among the stars invited, in addition to deep pockets from the New York-New Jersey corridor where a significant number of Indian Americans reside. Invitations have also gone to Marco Rubio, incumbent New York mayor Eric Adams, who's running against Zohran Mamdani, and Elise Stefanik, a member of Congress from NY and close Trump ally.

The August 21 event is being organised by the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF). President-CEO Mukesh Aghi has played an important role over the years in bridging the gap in understanding and aligning strategies, and generating positive messages between the two sides. A round of golf is what the doctor might have ordered given Trump's love for the game.

And the location couldn't be better. The Bedminster golf club is owned by the Trump Organisation. It's where Ivanka Trump married Jared Kushner, and its sprawling greens are often the site for Trump's 'working vacations'. If you're serious about political and corporate networking, you can become a member by paying $350,000 in initiation fees and upwards of $12,000 in annual dues on top of that.

Whether a game of golf moves the ball for India remains to be seen. Not much has moved on the trade negotiations despite best efforts. Insiders say that when commerce secretary Howard Lutnick and US trade representative Jamieson Greer went to Trump recently to say they had a good initial deal with India, he wasn't satisfied.

Trump wants a deal similar to what he has extracted from others in terms of investments in the US - $550 bn from Japan and $600 bn from the EU. He reportedly also asked to speak to Narendra Modi to thrash things out. But that so far hasn't worked out.

Some say avoiding the call won't solve the problem, but talking can provide an opportunity to explain the politics of things. Trump wants access for US dairy products made from cows fed on blood and bone meals. But that isn't acceptable to a majority of Hindu Indians. After all, Trump made sure to serve 'halal' delicacies to the Pakistan army chief. He should understand Indian sensitivities. But has anyone dared to explain the issue to him? The PM could.

In the last two weeks, Trump has announced trade deals with Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam and the EU, in which countries have accepted a higher base tariff rate of 15-19% from the US, while lowering their own rate to zero or near-zero. It means Delhi can't expect a sweetheart deal. An insider close to the negotiations said India should prepare for at least 19% tariff on all exports to the US come August 1.

Meanwhile, Pakistan's foreign minister and deputy PM Ishaq Dar was in town to pitch for more cooperation on trade, investment, counterterrorism and AI. Dar also made a plea for a meeting - however short - between Trump and his PM during the UN general assembly in September. A photo would help save face back home since the civilian government has become a butt of jokes. Trump feting the field marshal hasn't helped.

Pakistan's multiple lobbyists (said to number 13) will help, especially Keith Schiller, a Trump confidante and former bodyguard. Qatar's lobbyists, too, are helping Pakistan push its message in DC. One hopes India's expensive lobbyist Jason Miller has some access.

There's not a whole lot of sympathy in this White House for India, at least on trade. A staffer said India boasts of being a $4 tn economy on the one hand and being a poor, developing country on the other. India should focus internally and become No. 1 in whatever focus sectors it chooses, so it has leverage. 'If India stopped trading with the world, would anything change? No. But when China blocked critical minerals, the world noticed.'

Ouch. But that's Washington's brutal reality today. Old arguments about how much Indian Americans have contributed are especially not welcome in the MAGA world. Very different plays are needed.



(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of www.economictimes.com)