“There is a battle between autocracies and democracies, and we have to succeed in that,” Biden said during remarks in Madrid last summer. He used the same phrase again at the United Nations in New York, during his State of the Union address this year and just two weeks ago during his meeting with the president of South Korea at the White House.
Mr Modi, who is wildly popular in India, has taken some of the same political approaches as Mr Biden’s predecessor.
Publicly, the Indian leader embraced Mr Trump as a sort of kindred spirit. Both rose to power by embracing right-wing populism and claiming they were champions of people fighting against a corrupt establishment. Both promised to make their country ‘great’ again. And both exploited religious, economic and cultural divisions.
During a 2019 political tour of the United States, he yelled “Howdy, Modi!” the prime minister spoke glowingly of Mr. Trump in front of 50,000 Americans at a stadium in Houston.
“Each time he was the same: warm, friendly, approachable, energetic and full of humour,” Modi said of Trump. “I admire him for something more: his sense of leadership, passion for America, concern for every American, belief in the American future, and determination to make America great again.”
Mr Rossow said excluding Mr Gandhi from parliament “probably registered a bit more” among people concerned about Mr Modi’s actions. But he said Mr Modi had also pushed within India to shift power from the central government to the states, even though many of the local governments are not controlled by his political party.
As a result, he said, Mr Biden is likely to focus on the broader issues common to both countries when Mr Modi arrives in Washington. The two men will also see each other this month during Mr Biden’s visit to Australia for a summit.