Trump Lights Diwali Lamps at the White House — But Indians Question His Intentions Behind the Glow
The grand halls of the White House shimmered with the warm glow of Diwali lamps on Tuesday evening as U.S. President Donald Trump celebrated the Indian “Festival of Lights” alongside key Indian-American members of his administration and community leaders.
A brass five-wick lamp, adorned with marigolds and roses, stood on a flower-decked table before the iconic Resolute Desk.
Trump, reading from a message steeped in symbolism, called the diya “a beacon of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, and good over evil.”
Among the guests were FBI Director Kash Patel and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, marking a rare moment of cultural celebration within the corridors of American power.
But even as the President spoke of light, shadows of political tension lingered.
Just before the ceremony, Trump told reporters that he had spoken with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, discussing “mostly the world of trade.”
He claimed that India had agreed to stop buying Russian oil — a statement India swiftly denied. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi clarified that “no such call took place.”
Despite the denial, Trump reiterated his version before the Diwali gathering, calling Modi “a great friend” and insisting their conversation included talk of “peace with Pakistan.”
He even went so far as to say, “We stopped a nuclear war because of trade.”
However, India has repeatedly dismissed Trump’s assertions of mediating peace between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, stating that the 2021 ceasefire was achieved directly between Indian and Pakistani military commanders — without any U.S. involvement.
The Contradictions Behind the Candlelight
While Trump’s ceremonial lighting of the lamp drew applause in the Oval Office, his policies toward Indians — especially students, workers, and undocumented immigrants — continue to ignite anger among diaspora communities.
“Lighting a diya is easy,” said Pramil Kesarwani, an Indian-American youth activist and businessman.
“But what about the darkness he has cast on Indians through humiliation and deportations?”
Kesarwani recalled how several Indian youths were handcuffed, kicked, and bundled into aircraft like prisoners of war, following mass deportations during Trump’s immigration crackdown.
“Our hearts were broken. If deportation was necessary, they could have been treated with dignity,” he said.
His sentiments were echoed by Kavish Pratap, another social activist. “One woman from Punjab was detained and harassed, made to eat beef — a food most Indians would never touch. Is this how you show respect to our culture?” he asked.
Pratap questioned the sincerity of the President’s Diwali gesture: “If Donald Trump truly understands the meaning of Diwali — love, respect, harmony — he should start by treating Indians with dignity.
Otherwise, lighting a diya becomes nothing more than a photo-op in the dark corners of diplomacy.”
A Light That Must Mean More
Trump’s Diwali celebration, though filled with pomp and ritual, has once again highlighted the uneasy intersection between symbolism and sincerity in global politics.
As the lamps at the White House flickered against the evening sky, many Indians were left wondering whether this glow marked genuine respect — or another flicker of strategic diplomacy.
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