 "US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi talk after bilateral talks at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, on February 25, 2020. File photo/Reuters")
US President Donald Trump lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi by calling him a “tougher negotiator” than he is. The remarks from Trump came while he was conducting a joint press briefing with PM Modi. The Indian premier is on a two-day visit to the United States at the invitation of Trump. This marked Modi’s first visit to the country after the Republican leader came back to power.
When asked who was the tougher negotiator between him and Modi regarding the tariffs, Trump made it clear that PM Modi takes the cake in this regard. “He (PM Narendra Modi) is a much tougher negotiator than me and he is a much better negotiator than me. There is not even a contest,” the president replied.
During the press conference, Trump announced that India and the US government would work together to build the India-Middle East- Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), calling it one of the greatest trade routes. He mentioned that the route would operate from India to Israel, Italy and onwards to the United States.
Trump & PM Modi clarify their stance on tariff
It is pertinent to note that the meeting between the two leaders took place just hours after Trump announced a new reciprocal tariff policy for all US trading partners, marking another step in his administration’s trade actions. However, during his meeting with the Prime Minister, Trump said that he and Modi had reached an agreement that could make the US the “number one supplier” of oil and gas to India.
He also emphasised that the move aims to reduce the US trade deficit with India, which currently stands at around USD 45 billion. The two leaders also spoke about furthering the defence partnership between India and the United States. “Starting this year, we will be increasing military sales to India by many billions of dollars,” Trump said at the joint press conference with Prime Minister Modi.
Impact Shorts
View AllThis was the first time the two leaders met face to face after Trump won the 2024 US presidential elections. The Indian delegation who were present with the prime minister included External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and India’s Ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra.
The prime minister is among the first few leaders to visit the United States after Trump’s inauguration. Since Trump’s November win, both leaders have spoken twice on the phone. In January, EAM Jaishankar attended the inauguration ceremony of President Donald Trump as PM Modi’s Special Envoy.
During his visit, Jaishankar held talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and participated in the QUAD Foreign Ministers’ meeting in January 2025. Before meeting Trump, the prime minister also held bilateral talks with some of the lawmakers from Trump’s cabinet. The list included US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Indian-origin entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and US Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard.
With inputs from agencies.