Trump-Modi friendship helped seal India-US trade deal: US Envoy

US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor on Friday (March 13) said that the friendship and personal rapport between US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi played a key role in finalising the India-US trade deal.

Describing the two leaders as the "only two dealmakers", Gor further stated that their “personal friendship” played a decisive role in clinching the deal.

"The only two dealmakers were President Trump and Prime Minister Modi. Their deep and personal friendship got the deal done," Gor said at the India Today Conclave. He also described India as a “strong and reliable” partner of the US.

‘Relationship went back years’

The US envoy pointed out that the friendship between Trump and PM Modi goes back years, adding that the PM kept in touch with Trump even when he was not in the White House, a gesture appreciated by the Republican leader as a mark of genuine friendship.

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"PM Modi remained a friend even when Trump wasn't in the White House. Modi continued to stay in touch with him during that time, something Trump saw as a sign of genuine friendship," said Gor as quoted by India Today.

He further stated that the personal relationship between President Trump and PM Modi gave the “little push” that was required to bring the two sides together and iron out the differences.

‘India is a tough negotiator’

However, Gor said that the deal was not easy and echoed Trump in stating that India was a “tough negotiator". He praised the Modi government for securing India’s interests while clinching a mutually beneficial deal.

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"India is a tough negotiator. India has done a good job protecting India," said Gor as he described the final agreement as a "win-win deal" for both countries.

‘Deal finalised in about a year’

The US ambassador rubbished claims of acrimony between the two sides, during negotiations, stating that the deal was concluded in about a year, significantly quicker than India’s other major deals.

"In reality, we got the deal done in a year. The European Union deal took several years," he said, referring to the 'mother of all deals' India and the EU signed in January after two decades of negotiations.

On the US SC tariff ruling

As for the US Supreme Court striking down Trump’s global tariffs, Gor said that his country was hopeful that India would honour the deal, as it involves buying items which are crucial for its growth.

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India and the US reached a trade agreement last month after close to a year of negotiations, a period during which ties between the two countries hit their lowest point in recent years.

Under the proposed agreement, the US reduced tariffs on Indian imports to 18 per cent from a steep 50 per cent, bringing an end to what had been a particularly rough phase in economic relations.

The backdrop

The atmosphere had looked very different only months earlier, when President Trump criticised India for continuing to buy Russian oil, a revenue stream Washington argued was helping fund Moscow’s war in Ukraine, and moved to impose an additional 25 per cent tariff.

That step was followed by months of sharp remarks from Trump and members of his administration, with some describing India as Moscow’s “laundromat” while the President himself referred to the country as a “dead economy”.

Despite the tensions, Trump repeatedly described Prime Minister Narendra Modi as his “friend”.