It was said of Mr Richard Nixon, the last Republican United States president before Mr Donald Trump to face an impeachment threat, that he often found solace in overseas travel as the Watergate scandal closed in on him. Being feted by national leaders equally eager to imply to home audiences that they share a special friendship with the most powerful man on the planet worked well for all.

Against that background, Mr Trump's two-day trip to India earlier this week - travelling through most of his Sunday to get to Ahmedabad, Gujarat, on Monday morning - was more of a celebration than an escape act.