US Midterm Elections: Will a Weaker Trump Benefit India in Trade Talks?

Democrats have captured both houses of Congress in the US midterm elections. After this political earthquake, a question is increasingly being raised in India whether a weak Trump will be beneficial to India? Will the long-stalled India-US trade agreement now be able to be done quickly and in India's favor? The answer is a little confused. The election results have changed the political equation of the agreement, but not the legal mechanism and Trump's executive powers. The story of the trade agreement between India and the US has been very volatile. In February 2026, both countries prepared the framework of an interim agreement. The US promised to reduce the 50 percent tariff on Indian exports to 18 percent. Since then, no concrete progress has been made. In October 2026, the US Trade Representative (USTR) Jamison Greer said clearly that the agreement is far away, because there is a stalemate on some important issues. After nine months, no legal agreement will be made under the Trump administration. It will be immediately binding on the US President's tariff laws.