Washington DC: Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilaterla meeting with United States President Donald Trump in Washington DC. Both leaders discussed varied range of issues including trade, defence, technology, energy, security, and people-to-people ties. During a the joint press conference, Trump lauds PM Modi by calling him a "tough negotiator".
Notably, hours before the meeting with PM Modi, the US President announced sweeping reciprocal tariffs for all countries. However, when Trump was asked about who is a tougher and better negotiator between him and PM Modi, the US President said, "He is a much tougher negotiator than me. He is a better negotiator than me. There is not even a contest."
Donald Trump's Reply:
Earlier in the day, Trump unveiled a plan for a system of reciprocal tariffs. Pointing out to tariffs imposed by India, Trump said, "it was just about the highest tariff nation anywhere in the world".
It's very hard to sell into India because they have trade barriers, very strong tariffs," he added.
"We are, right now, a reciprocal nation. We are going to, if it's India or if it's somebody else with low tariffs, we're going to have the same. We're going to have whatever India charges, we're charging them. Whatever another country charges, we're charging them," Trump stated.
However, the US President highlighted that trade challenges with the European Union and China are deeper than India, citing high tariffs and unfair practices.
"The European Union is very difficult for us. Very, very difficult. They tax our companies at levels that nobody has ever seen before. They take advantage of a lot of things. So we're not happy about that," he remarked.
PM Modi's Meeting With Trump:
Modi met with US President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, DC, on Thursday (local time) to discuss strengthening the India-US bilateral partnership across various sectors.
In a post on X, the Prime Minister's Office stated, "PM @narendramodi and @POTUS @realDonaldTrump held productive discussions in Washington DC. They deliberated on ways to strengthen the India-US partnership across various sectors."
US President Donald Trump also shared pictures from his meeting with PM Modi. While sharing the pictures on X, Trump stated, "President Donald J. Trump and Indian Prime Minister @NarendraModi."
During the meeting, Trump said that PM Modi had been his "great friend" for a long time and stressed that it is a "great honour" to have him at the White House. He said that he and PM Modi share a "wonderful relationship" and they kept the ties during the four-year period.
Earlier, Donald Trump welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the West Wing lobby of the White House in Washington, DC on Thursday (local time). The two leaders shared a warm hug as they greeted each other. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino shared a picture of PM Modi and President Trump on X.
(With inputs from agencies)
