Will meet Modi during his US visit next week: Trump
during a speech in which he referred to Modi as a “fantastic man” while also terming India a big “abuser” on trade
Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for president, has said that he will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi next week, during a speech in which he referred to Modi as a “fantastic man” while also terming India a big “abuser” on trade.
Trump, who is locked into a fierce and close contest with Vice President and Democratic nominee for president Kamala Harris, was speaking at a campaign event in Michigan on Tuesday evening (Wednesday IST) about the trade tariffs that he intends to impose if re-elected.
In that backdrop, Trump said, “So when India which is a very big abuser... He (Modi) happens to be coming to meet me next week. And Modi, you are fantastic. Fantastic man. A lot of these leaders are fantastic. You have to understand one thing… These people are the sharpest people, they are not a little bit backward. They are at the top... of their game. And they use it against us. But India is very tough. Brazil is very tough… China is the toughest of all.” Trump then went on to reiterate his policy on reciprocal tariff.
To be sure, India hasn’t responded to Trump’s comments and the official release about the PM’s visit does not have meetings scheduled with either Trump or Harris.
Modi is travelling to the US from Saturday. He will first visit Delaware to attend the Quad Leaders Summit at President Joe Biden’s home in Wilmington. He will then head to New York to attend a diaspora event on Sunday, address the United Nations Summit of the Future, and engage with other heads of government and business leaders. While Modi’s visit is aimed at bilateral and multilateral events, it is happening just five weeks before the American presidential elections.
In 2019, Modi and Trump participated in the “Howdy Modi” event in Houston, and in 2020, the two leaders held a “Namaste Trump” event in Ahmedabad. The Houston event, in particular, had given rise to apprehensions among some Democrats about India’s role in domestic American politics. New Delhi had to repeatedly emphasise, through words and actions, to Democratic interlocutors, that India did not have any partisan preferences in America.
The 2019-2020 experience is why this time around, organisers of the diaspora event were careful in ensuring that it remained strictly non-political. As HT reported last month, no elected officials are being invited for Modi’s event in Long Island on Sunday. But Trump’s statement announcing the meeting with Modi, without any such corresponding meeting scheduled with Harris so far — unless she comes to Delaware for the Quad summit or travels to NYC for the UN summit — may result in a renewal of apprehensions among Democrats and force India to walk a fine political and diplomatic line next week. Those familiar with the issue say India would prefer to engage with both candidates if schedules align.
Trump’s comments also point to the other big substantive issue that is expected to affect ties if he is elected — trade.
During his first term, the US revoked preferential trade status to India and imposed tariffs; this resulted in India imposing retaliatory tariffs. Trump himself was particularly invested in getting India to reduce import duties on Harley Davidson bikes. In his autobiography, Robert Lighthizer, Trump’s top trade czar, who is expected to get a top cabinet position if Republicans win, has written a critical account of the negotiations with India on the subject.