President Donald Trump Extols PM Narendra Modi As One Of The ‘Toughest Leaders In The World’

For a clear endorsement of India's emerging importance on the international stage, US President Donald Trump has identified Prime Minister Narendra Modi as one of the world's most powerful leaders. This high opinion has been voiced by Trump in a new interview with Axios, as well as during a prominent bilateral meeting with the Indian leader on the sidelines of the G7 outreach summit in Evian, France, recently. In the list of global leaders that he looks up to, the US President included Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, saying that Xi is "all business" and PM Modi is a "very tough cookie.

The two leaders' personal rapport, along with the diplomatic synergy they have shown, was evident in their discussions in France, where both sides were closely looking at regional security and the completion of a bilateral trade deal. Talking about the development of the US-India trade deal, Trump highly commended PM Modi's 'strengths' as a negotiator, stating that a deal is 'very close' and that he 'has met some of the strongest negotiators. “In fact, the Indian PM's outward appearance is very mild and often leaves people with a surprise when they discover that he has an extremely shrewd political sense and an ironclad attitude towards government,” Trump added. In addition to trade talks, the US President highlighted that India's growing geopolitical importance is tied to PM Modi's strong leadership. Trump said India was meant to be a big player in global affairs, including in West Asia, where the US and Iran have reached an understanding. Reassuring Indian audiences in the face of changing global policies, Trump said that “as long as I am in the White House, India will have a great friend in the White House”, reflecting the high regard of mutual trust between both governments.

Washington and New Delhi's strategic partnership has grown stronger than ever, especially in defence cooperation. Trump reiterated that the bilateral relationship is better than ever in the past when he visited India for his “Howdy Modi” rally in Houston and other events. When it comes to regional security, the US President made an unprecedented assertion, saying that the United States would defend India and assist it in the event of an attack, bringing the level of solidarity to the forefront of the future trajectory of US-India relations, both personal and national.