Donald Trump coined the slogan “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) when he first ran for presidency in 2016. He has created a virtual cult through this MAGA movement; his consistent message has been “USA first” in almost everything he does in establishing his policies. Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems to be following in Trump’s footsteps. A recent headline in all Indian newspapers was Modi’s quotation: “India First has become the mantra in India’s foreign policy”.

At first, I was somewhat puzzled. I understood Trump’s message. The US has been pouring billions of dollars into multinational organizations like UN, NATO, WHO etc, providing military aid to nations like Israel and Ukraine, taking care of millions of illegal immigrants, supplying food and medicine to poor countries in Africa and Asia whenever a disaster hits. At the same time, it seems that the needs of Americans themselves are not being adequately addressed as evidenced by homelessness, addiction problems, declining educational standard, weak military and so on.

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Trump is saying that he wants to address the needs of Americans first. But India is not engaged in helping other countries, except for mutual trade. So, what does the slogan “India First” even mean? After reading excerpts from Modi’s speech I realized that his vision is slightly different from that of Trump. Modi, not only wants to prioritize India’s interests in any negotiation, he literally wants India to be first in every aspect. He wants India to become a “developed” country by 2047.

Whether it is the economy, science and technology, infrastructure, education, communication, sports and all other aspects of social living, he wants Indians not to just dream but deliver first. In the case of Trump, by “first” he means “highest priority”. Modi’s adjective “first” refers to being first in the global arena in a competitive sense. As an Indian American I welcome both policies. I am proud of my Indian heritage and still feel a strong bond with my motherland. I celebrate every accomplishment by Indians on the international front, whether it is in science, literature, business, movies or sports. On the other hand, I consider myself as an “American” in my everyday life, profession and general outlook towards life. Trump and Modi seem to have a good working relationship. However, I am beginning to wonder what I would do if there were a substantial conflict between the US and India.

Trump has already criticized India for imposing high tariffs on goods imported from the US and imposed a 27 per cent tariff on all Indian goods entering the US on “Liberation Day”. India is reportedly reconsidering many of its own tariff policies to soothe relations with the US. In any event, the goods in question such as whiskey and farm products do not affect me personally and I can simply watch the developments as a bystander. I am also optimistic that Mr. Modi is astute enough not to have this escalate into a full-blown trade war. As Trump himself has said, “Modi is a tough negotiator and better than me”. I believe that the Indian engineers, both Indian Americans permanently settled in the US as well as the ones on H1B visa, will play a key role in collaborating with American engineers to fully develop applications of Artificial Intelligence.

Even without AI, Indian software engineers now constitute the backbone of information technology in virtually all companies in the US. Indian doctors dominate in the medical arena in the US. The US will also continue to rely heavily on India as an alternative to China for all their manufacturing needs and as a deterrent to China’s global dominance in this regard. India, on the other hand, would have to depend on the US to emerge as a developed nation.

Currently, the US is the largest trading partner of India and supplies, among other things, nuclear reactor boilers, electronics, machinery, oils, various gemstones and the US is the most favoured destination of all Indians aspiring to go abroad whether it is for education, business, jobs or just sightseeing. I worry about the possibility of a trade war evolving into something more serious, even a military conflict, perhaps involving Pakistan or Russia in some way. Willingness to take arms in defense of a country and risking death is the ultimate proof of one’s love for a country.

Which side would I bear arms for if there is a war between the US and India? A war seems highly unlikely, but one recent news concerned me a lot. According to a 2025 US intelligence report (“Annual Threat Assessment”), India is now the largest country behind China to supply Mexico with precursors and necessary equipment to produce the drug Fentanyl. Drugs are then smuggled into the US. India was nowhere in the illicit drug business according to the same report in 2023. Fentanyl is a strong synthetic opioid which can be 100 times stronger than morphine, and is usually prescribed to relieve severe pain. Unfortunately, it is very addictive, and its recreational use is literally killing an entire generation of Americans.

According to a recent CNN report, Mexican drug cartels have teamed up with Indian criminal elements to find an alternate source for precursors. Fentanyl is now the drug involved in most overdose deaths. I have seen first-hand what Fentanyl and prescription drugs are doing to the younger generation of the US. I personally know two families whose young sons in their twenties were killed by Fentanyl overdose and several others with someone in the family addicted to prescription painkillers like Oxycodone. It is not just the ones who die, they take down their entire family to devastation, both financially and emotionally. Trump imposed severe tariffs against Mexico and Canada mainly to force them to take actions in halting the influx of Fentanyl into the US.

If it is determined that India is indeed a major player in this illegal drug business and if Trump takes any action against India in his effort to engage the Indian government to stop it, whether through threat of increased tariff or other means such as stopping H1B visas, I will stand solidly behind Trump. I am concerned about possible corruption among government officials in India, a general lax attitude which prevents them from taking strong swift actions and lack of regulations and good quality control. I will not tolerate any complicity on the part of my old country which allows destruction of youth in my new country.

I may not take up arms but will offer my services in any capacity to help this cause. My decision is not based on partisan politics or nationalistic sentiment but on what both countries have taught me, whether it is through centuries-old messages of Indian holy men or Biblical teaching: “Thou shall not harm or kill others”, especially when there is absolutely no reason other than making obscene amounts of profit. My hope is that India will be “first” in helping the US to achieve its first priority: keep Fentanyl out of the country.

(The writer, a physicist who worked in industry and academia, is a Bengali settled in America.)