Trump expresses excitement about meeting the remarkable Prime Minister Modi during his visit to the U.S.
Former President Donald Trump announced he will meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whom he described as a “fantastic man,” during Modi’s upcoming visit to the U.S. next week.
“He’s coming to meet me next week, and Modi, he’s fantastic. I mean, fantastic,” Trump said at a town hall meeting in Flint, Michigan, on Tuesday.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, PM Modi will be in the U.S. from Saturday to Monday. His schedule includes participation in the Quad Summit in Delaware on Saturday, a speech to the Indian diaspora on Long Island on Sunday, and an address at the United Nations Summit of the Future on Monday. While the schedule does not explicitly mention a meeting with Trump, it notes that Modi will hold bilateral meetings with various world leaders to discuss mutual interests on the sidelines of the Summit.
Trump’s campaign itinerary indicates he will be in North Carolina on Saturday and Pennsylvania on Monday evening, with no events planned for Sunday.
During the town hall, Trump brought up the meeting with Modi while discussing trade imbalances, proposing to increase duties on imports from India through a potential Trump Reciprocal Tax Act. He labeled India a “very big abuser” of the tariff system due to high duties on U.S. imports, stating, “If anybody charges us 10 cents, $2, or 100 percent, we charge them the same.”
He described countries like India as highly skilled in negotiations, saying, “They’re at the top of their game, and they use it against us.” Trump further noted that while China poses the toughest trade challenge, he believes tariffs are an effective tool for managing trade relations.
During his presidency, Trump clashed with India over tariffs, notably raising duties on steel and aluminum and eliminating the Generalized Scheme of Preferences, which had provided reduced tariffs for certain Indian exports. India responded by increasing tariffs on U.S. agricultural exports, including apples and almonds.
Despite trade disagreements, Trump and Modi forged a strong personal connection. With elections approaching and Trump nearly tied with Vice President Kamala Harris, Modi faces a delicate situation, needing to maintain communication with both parties without showing favoritism.
Before the 2020 election, Modi publicly supported Trump at a community event in Houston, dubbed “Howdy Modi,” and rallied crowds with the slogan “Abki baar, Trump Sarkar” (This time, Trump’s government). However, after Trump’s defeat by Biden, Modi and Biden have continued to strengthen ties between their nations.
