US President Donald Trump has described Prime Minister Narendra Modi as one of the world’s toughest leaders, making the remarks in a recent Axios interview as well as during their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G7 outreach summit in Evian, France.
In excerpts of the Axios interview published on Thursday, Trump named Chinese President Xi Jinping and PM Modi among the world leaders he most admires.
According to Axios, Trump referred to Xi as ‘all business’ and PM Modi as ‘a very tough cookie’.
The comments echoed Trump’s remarks during his meeting with the Indian Prime Minister, where the two leaders discussed a proposed bilateral trade agreement and regional security issues.
When asked about progress on a trade deal between Washington and New Delhi, Trump said, “Very close. We’ve been there for a little while. He’s a very tough negotiator, one of the toughest, actually.”
The US President went on to describe PM Modi as a leader whose calm public image masks strong political instincts.
“So, you look at this man, I’ll give you a lesson, he’s the most beautiful looking man, he looks so nice, he’s like an angel. But actually, he’s as tough as he is a killer,” he noted.
Trump repeatedly linked India’s growing global influence to PM Modi’s leadership.
Responding to a question on India’s role in stabilising West Asia, the US President said, “Yeah, I do. I think India plays a big role in everything. As long as he’s the leader, India is going to play a big role.”
The US President also highlighted his longstanding friendship with PM Modi and reassured Indian audiences about bilateral ties.
Discussing defence cooperation, Trump called India a close partner and said relations were stronger than ever.
“If they were attacked, we would be there to help them,” he added.
Trump concluded by stressing the closeness of the relationship, saying, “India can do anything they want with us. We have the best relationship.”
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