At APEC, Trump praises PM Modi and says a US-India trade deal is underway; comments follow August tariffs and ongoing trade talks. Key takeaways for India-US trade 2025.
Trump Hails PM Modi During APEC Speech in Seoul
Former US President and 2024–25 presidential frontrunner Donald Trump said he is “doing a trade deal with India” and expressed “great respect and love for Prime Minister Modi” while speaking in Seoul ahead of the APEC summit. His remark signals warmer rhetoric as Washington and New Delhi continue complex negotiations over tariffs and market access.
Trump made the comments while addressing an Asia-Pacific audience, framing the relationship with India as both strategic and personal — calling Modi “the nicest-looking guy” and recalling how diplomacy helped avert possible regional conflict in past crises. Observers say this public praise may smooth political space for a bilateral trade package that US officials have been discussing with Indian counterparts.
The backdrop to Trump’s statement includes steep US duties imposed in August — sanctions that reached up to 50% on certain Indian imports — and ongoing talks to resolve tariff disputes and energy-trade concerns. India has defended its energy purchases as market-driven and necessary for national security, a line New Delhi has repeatedly emphasised in trade diplomacy.
