Prime Minister Narendra Modi “succeeded magnificently” in his negotiations with US President Donald Trump despite the shadow of reciprocal tariffs hanging over their bilateral meeting, top American experts told India Today. Ashley J Tellis and Lisa Curtis, who have been part of the US administration, were unanimous in their verdict that the wide-ranging agreements, from defence equipment to trade, left no doubt that the US-India relationship was off to a very good start during Trump 2.0.
Tellis, an expert on US foreign and defence policy, said PM Modi’s visit, coming within the first month of Trump’s presidency, was essentially to convince the President that India was a great partner for the US, and he succeeded on all counts.
“The Prime Minister wanted to gain a measure of immunity from Trump’s problematic policies on trade. It was a ‘Modi Makes Magic’ visit because it is very hard to disarm a personality like Trump. By watching their interactions during the presser, I think he achieved what he set out to do,” Tellis, who was part of the National Security Council as special assistant to President George Bush, said.
Despite Trump announcing reciprocal tariffs and singling out India as being the country at the “top of the pack” just hours before his meeting with PM Modi, the two leaders thrashed out defence deals while setting an ambitious bilateral trade target of USD 500 billion by 2030.
The agreements included increased military sales to India, with Trump also offering the fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets, and India importing more US oil and gas to narrow the trade deficit. The US and India have a trade deficit of nearly USD 50 billion.
Lisa Curtis, who was a part of the first Trump administration, said the meeting set the agenda of the US-India partnership for the next four years.
“It was a successful meeting. The fact that it happened so early in Trump 2.0 presidency shows the emphasis and importance of India to the US. The joint pres briefing showed the warm friendship and mutual admiration the leaders have for one another,” Curtis said.