Ex-Foreign Secretary On US Elections

New Delhi: The failed assassination attempt on former US President and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and US President Joe Biden announcing not to seek re-election in the “best interest” of the Democratic Party while endorsing US Vice President Kamala Harris as the presidential nominee for the Democratic Party has increased the political tussle in the United States.

In the backdrop of such seachange happenings in the US, former India’s ambassador to the United States, Harsh Vardhan Shringla, said that whether it’s Democrats or Republicans, they both support the relationship with India.

In an exclusive interview with ANI, Mr Shringla shed light on the presidential race and how it can impact India-US ties.

“We in India pile up over the fact that India-US relations are supported by both sides of the political aisle in the United States. Whether it’s Democrats or Republicans, they both support the relationship with India. Even with India, there is largely consensus that a good relationship with the United States is in our interest so I don’t see ourselves being affected by either candidate, whether it was President Biden, Vice President Kamla Harris or former President Trump,” he told ANI.

Mr Shringla added that India wouldn’t be affected by Republican or Democratic candidates, whether it was President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Trump.

The 2024 United States presidential elections are scheduled to be held in November. The presidential race in the US is likely to be between Vice President Kamla Harris, after President Joe Biden withdrew from the race, and former President Donald Trump.

The former foreign secretary added that the India-US relationship will be stronger now and will continue to assume importance.

“Our relationship will become stronger, certainly, that part is content; the relationship will continue to assume importance, continue to be regarded as important in US policy and strategy.

These policies have been very well focused towards India. Biden was the first to invite India to the summit level and invited the minister to major conferences regarding climate change, sustainable development, democracy and so on,” he said.

Mr Shringla said, “So I think he has been very considerate of the fact that he cares, and I’m sure that policy will be continued by vice president Kamla Harris at the same time. Also, under President Trump, there were very notable successes and achievements.”
Referring to the upcoming US presidential polls, the former foreign secretary said that it will be a stronger contest now, stressing that Trump has some advantages from being the candidate from the beginning, while Kamala Harris, who served as the Attorney General of California and the vice president, was endorsed recently as the presidential nominee for the Democratic Party.

“It will be a stronger contest now, he remarked, adding, Trump has some advantages from being the candidate for much longer and being around on the scene,” he told ANI.

Talking about Biden withdrawing his name from the race, Harsh Vardhan Shringla said that there were some concerns that President Biden was not up to the task of running another election and becoming a successful democratic candidate.

“I think a lot of this came to the public attention when he didn’t perform very well in the last presidential debate that he had with former president Trump, so as a result of those pressures, President Biden has now dropped out, but he has endorsed his vice president Kamala Harris to be the democratic candidate,” he added.

Mr Shringla highlighted that the democratic convention is scheduled to be held on August 19, adding that there will be around 2000 delegates who will select the successor.

“There is a due process to be followed. The democratic convention is scheduled to be held on August 19. There are some 2000 delegates who, at the democratic convention, will select the successor, and while the vice president has the upper hand because the outgoing president has endorsed her, Harris expressed her preference that she should be the candidate,” he said.

“She has obviously been exposed nationally, whereas other contenders may not be very well known and with the very short time remaining, it is likely the Democrats will support around her but that process has to be gone through, and we cannot be sure until she is appointed as the democratic candidate at the convention on August 19,” Mr Shringla continued.

He further said that, according to him, Vice President Harris will become the nominee as she has a known face and she represents the continuity of President Biden’s policies.

“My own sense is that Vice President Harris will become the nominee because of the lack of time. She is a known face because she has been vice president, so she’s known nationally. She represents continuity of President Biden’s policies so Democrats can be reassured in that count as well. She has an age advantage. She is 59 years old compared to Trump’s 78 and in many senses, she can appeal to constituencies like the African-American community, or on abortion law,” he said.

He added that there is a certain momentum in her favour so she will be the democratic candidate and competition will now be between former president Trump and most likely vice president Kamala Harris.
Highlighting the assassination attempt made on Trump, he said, President Trump was not only shot but nearly escaped losing his life. And soon after getting up, after the attempt, he got up onto space to the air. He said with a fist and Americans think that is a sign of a strong personality.

“Someone who is not willing to allow circumstances to get the better of him. Despite the near death experience, you have been very very resilient and as the Americans say, you can fall down, but it matters how you get up. On the other hand, biden was seen, age catching up with him, being slow, speech being slurred, forgetting names, mistaken personality, so all that didn’t go down well and so Kamala Harris entering the race is going to change the dynamics because it is going to inverse the age order,” he added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)