US President Donald Trump on India-US trade relations. US President Donald Trump on Friday described Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a 'great friend' and a 'very smart man'. He made these statements at a White House press briefing where he reaffirmed his position on India's high tariffs.
"Prime Minister Modi was here just recently, and we've always been very good friends. India is one of the highest-tariffing nations in the world. They're very smart," Trump said.
"He is a very smart man and a great friend of mine. We had very good talks. I think it's going to work out very well between India and our country.
And I want to say you have a great prime minister." US prepares to implement reciprocal tariffs on several countries, including India, from April 2. Trump has consistently critiqued India's trade policies, calling it 'tariff king' and describing its import duties as 'very unfair and strong'.
Trump had said in an earlier statement, "I have a very good relationship with India, but the only problem I have with India is they're one of the highest-tariffing nations in the world. I believe they're probably going to lower those tariffs substantially, but on April 2, we will be charging them the same tariffs they charge us." Following PM Modi's US visit in February, where both leaders agreed to negotiate the initial phase of a multi-sector Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) by fall 2025, Trump made several statements regarding international trade relations.
Previously, Trump had cri.
