Amid speculation on whether the US administration will impose reciprocal tariffs on India, President Donald Trump has heaped praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, describing him as a “very smart man” and a “great friend.”
He also hoped the ongoing India-US talks on trade and tariffs would bear fruitful results.
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At an Interaction with reporters at the swearing-in ceremony of the US attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba last evening, Mr Trump lauded PM Modi’s leadership qualities, describing him as a “great prime minister.”
“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 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. And I want to say you have a great Prime Minister,” he said.
Mr Modi visited the US in February, when the two sides announced plans to negotiate a mutually beneficial, multi-sector Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) by the fall of 2025, which would strengthen the economic ties between them. Senior officials of the two countries have since then been negotiating the proposed pact.
On Thursday, Mr Trump declared a 25 per cent tariff on all imported vehicles entering the US, a move he described as “very exciting” for domestic manufacturing.
The tariffs, set to take effect on April 2, will impact nearly half of all vehicles sold in the US, including American brands assembled overseas.
In February, the American leader announced that he would soon impose reciprocal tariffs on countries like India and China, asserting that the US would charge the same taxes these nations impose on American goods.
“We will soon impose reciprocal tariffs- they charge us, we charge them. Whatever a company or a country, such as India or China, charges, we want to be fair; hence, reciprocal,” he added.
