Geopolitics is a realm usually dominated by stiff suits, solemn handshakes, and the occasional carefully worded press release. But every so often, it gives us something delightfully different: a bromance for the ages.

It all restarted when former US  President Donald Trump, not exactly known for his diplomatic subtlety, reassured the world on Saturday that the United States had most definitely not lost India.

No, Sirree! Trump said, with all the gravitas of a reality TV star making an announcement, that he remains best friends with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It’s just that he doesn’t “like what he’s doing at this particular moment.”

One could imagine Trump adjusting a friendship lapel pin while stating this.

Enter Narendra Modi, the man known for his strategic poise, now suddenly donning the role of Twitter’s most gracious wingman.

Modi responded with a tweet dripping in diplomatic affection, praising Trump’s sentiments and reaffirming that the US–India Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership is forward-looking.

Did he really mean:  “Keep tweeting, Don. We’re watching.”

A New Eurasian Compact?

Of course it all started many years ago when Modi and Trump shared platforms and crowds roared “Howdy Modi”, while the Indian Prime Minister said “Ab ki baar, Trump Sarkar (This time round Trump’s government). That was way back in 2019. Since then much water has flown down the Potomac river.

This current phase of the bromance isn’t unfolding in a vacuum. The backdrop is the recent Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, where Modi was seen locked in animated conversation, with Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, Trump's political rivals. 

The images of Modi smiling broadly with Putin and Xi were more theatrical than romantic comedy, but they signalled something far more strategic.

To outsiders, the SCO appears like a bizarre cocktail party where everyone’s pretending to get along while eyeing each other suspiciously.

India and China remain strategic and commercial rivals. China and Russia compete for influence and borderlands. And India and Pakistan … Well, let’s just say they’re not exactly sharing coffee and cookies anytime soon.

The optics were clear: a new Eurasian compact, minus any real binding agreements, gestures, or mutual trust, but heavy on symbolism.

Social Media Bromance

Yet, amid this global chess game, the Trump-Modi tweets reminded us of one undeniable fact: politics is now as much about social media bromance as it is about border disputes and trade wars.

Why negotiate quietly in closed rooms when you can send each other carefully crafted public affirmations of friendship, while simultaneously continuing to buy Russian oil or consider slapping tariffs?

Meanwhile, the European Union, caught somewhere between relief and exasperation, watched this display with thinly veiled concern.

Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul was in New Delhi, trying to convince India to play nice with Brussels, especially in light of the Trump Tariffs debacle and the “New Axis Grouping” whispers.

Europe’s hope — keep India from going fully Eurasian. India’s stance —  “We’ll take all the friends we can get.”

Less Ideology More Optics

So where does the famous bromance leave us?

In a world where strategic autonomy is India’s buzzword, and multipolarity means a messy arrangement of convenience and suspicion, the Trump–Modi tweet exchange is less about ideology and more about optics. It’s a reminder that for now, global power play isn’t a serious game of chess. It’s more like a reality show reunion —awkward, slightly contrived, but impossible to look away from.

After all, who needs consistency in geopolitics when you have a bromance that keeps everyone guessing?

(The author is a senior journalist and strategic analyst who specialises in the political economy. Views expressed are personal)