High-profile Indian-American golf event at Trump's golf club postponed amid trade tussle: Report

A golf tournament scheduled for August 21 at US President Donald Trump’s golf club at Bedminster in New Jersey has been postponed until further notice reportedly due to the chill in the US-India ties. The tournament, meant to be an important networking event, was supposed to be attended by key influencers in the Indian-American business ecosystem as well as the political community. High-profile members of the Trump administration were also expected to attend.

According to a report in Hindustan Times, the tournament could have been key in smoothening the friction between India and US. However, with tensions escalating and Trump’s announcement of the 50 per cent tariffs, the event has been postponed.

Indian American CEOs including Adobe’s Shantanu Narayan, FedEx’s Raj Subramaniam, and IBM’s Arvind Krishna as well as political figures like Secretary of State Marco Rubio and New York City Mayor Eric Adams were expected to attend. Forty to 50 individuals were expected to participate in the tournament.

It was hoped that US President Donald Trump would also attend the event.

The golf event was seen as an opportunity to informally broker a reduction in tensions, the report added. The organisation of the event was also led by the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF), a non-profit with links to power players in New Delhi and Washington. The report added that the broader tensions between the two nations may have led to the rescheduling of the event.

The postponement comes amid growing tensions between India and the US. The US has imposed 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods, called its economy ‘dead’, blamed it for financing the Russian war on Ukraine for buying oil from Moscow, apart from the trade deal that is yet to be finalised.

The trade deal between India and the US, despite multiple rounds of discussions, have not yet been finalised. Washington wants access to India's agriculture and dairy sectors, which New Delhi has strongly resisted. New Delhi has also refused to abandon Russian oil, which it procures for a cheaper rate. A mix of such factors have reportedly frustrated Trump and his team immensely. However, the Indian government as well as Prime Minister Narendra Modi have said they would not give in to Washington's demands and said they were ready to pay the price.