Trump Says India-US Relations Have Improved Under PM Modi’s Leadership

US President Donald Trump has praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling him a “great leader” and a “very tough guy,” while also commenting on the evolving economic relationship between India and the United States. His remarks came during an interview with Axios, where he discussed foreign policy, trade balances and his assessment of global leaders. Trump said he considers Modi among the leaders he admires for their ability to exercise “power and leverage” while delivering outcomes for their countries.

Referring to India’s demographic scale and global standing, he described the country as the largest by population and credited Modi with providing political stability and steady leadership. He also noted that India has largely stayed out of major global conflicts, which he characterised as a pragmatic approach. “Modi is very good. Yeah. They've had some very good numbers announced. He stays out of wars, which is smart. He's 1.5 billion people.

He's actually the biggest. India's actually the biggest. And Modi's a great leader,” Trump said during the interview, according to Axios. The US president also spoke at length about India-US trade relations, saying the two countries now share a more balanced and “fair” economic partnership.  He argued that the relationship had shifted significantly in recent years, moving away from what he described as an earlier period of trade imbalance.

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“And we do a lot of business with them, but now we do fair business. They used to really rip us off. I don't blame them for that. You know, we had stupid politicians that allowed that to happen. But now we do a lot of business,” Trump said. He added that earlier trade arrangements had been less favourable to the United States, but suggested that recent policy changes had created a more equitable framework. According to Trump, this shift has altered the dynamics of India-US commerce, even if it has not been received positively by all stakeholders. 

“They're not that happy about it because they used to do a lot better. So Modi's great,” he said. The remarks come amid ongoing discussions between New Delhi and Washington over trade, technology cooperation and geopolitical alignment. India and the United States have in recent years deepened collaboration across defence, energy and digital sectors, even as occasional differences persist on tariff structures and market access.

Trump also included Chinese President Xi Jinping among leaders he respects for their strategic influence, placing both Xi and Modi in a category of global figures he described as effective in advancing national interests. His comments underscore his long-standing focus on trade balance and bilateral leverage in international relations.

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