Days ahead of the April 2 deadlines, US President Donald Trump, praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a ‘smart man’, emphasised that the tariff talks between India and the US would “work out very well”.
“Prime Minister Modi was here just recently and we have always been very good friends,” the US president said in the White House Friday.
“India is one of the highest tariffing nations in the world. It’s brutal, it’s brutal. They’re very smart. He (Modi) 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, Trump said.
“And I want to say you have a great prime minister,” he added.
#WATCH | Washington, US: On India-US tariff talks, US President Donald Trump says, “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. He (PM Modi) is a very smart… pic.twitter.com/7O4adE7F9f
— ANI (@ANI) March 28, 2025
The remarks assume significance since Trump has repeatedly criticised the high tariffs charged by India and other countries on American goods.
At present, officials from India and the US are engaged in a negotiations to crack a trade deal.
A team of US officials, headed by Assistant US Trade Representative for South and Central Asia Brendan Lynch, is in Delhi for negotiations on the proposed bilateral trade agreement with India. The negotiations are likely to conclude on Saturday.