Trump gushes over India's PM Modi and promises major jet sales in White House meeting
Washington DC - President Donald Trump on Thursday offered to sell state-of-the-art fighter jets to India as he and Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to ramp up trade.
![Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump met at the White House Thursday, vowing to ramp up trade between their countries.](https://media.tag24.de/951x634/r/a/ravaxddt0pc46ktasloebdmurgdzg1ti.jpg)
Modi, only the fourth world leader to visit the White House since Trump's return, described his fellow authoritarian leader as a friend and told him he was adopting a take on his "Make America Great Again" slogan.
Trump said that he found a "special bond" with Modi and India and, in an uncharacteristic if ironic show of humility, complimented Modi as being a "much tougher negotiator" than he is.
Successive US administrations have seen India as a key partner with like-minded interests in the face of a rising China, and Trump announced that the new administration was ready to sell one of the top US military prizes: F-35s.
"Starting this year, we'll be increasing military sales to India by many billions of dollars," Trump told a joint news conference with Modi.
"We're also paving the way to ultimately provide India with the F-35 stealth fighters," Trump said.
India would join an elite club of countries that include NATO allies, Israel and Japan that would be allowed to buy the F-35, which can operate without detection at supersonic speeds.
Continuing a push from his predecessor Joe Biden, Trump said that the two countries also planned investment in ports, railways and underseas cable to "build one of the greatest trade routes in all of history," running from India to Israel to Europe and beyond.
Musk's meeting with Modi raises questions
![Far-right billionaire Elon Musk, who is one of Trump's closest allies, also met privately with Modi.](https://media.tag24.de/951x634/s/1/s18t03sfru0j1thik0nelfhczni0rq1o.jpg)
Trump has dueled with both friends and foes on economic issues. Hours before meeting, Trump announced reciprocal tariffs on all countries, including India.
Speaking next to Modi, Trump called India's "unfair, very strong tariffs" a "big problem" but said that the two countries would hold negotiations to close a trade deficit in India's favor.
Modi said that the world's largest and fifth-largest countries would work on a "mutually beneficial trade agreement" to be sealed "very soon," with a focus on oil and gas.
Joining Trump's meeting with Modi was far-right billionaire Elon Musk, who has been tasked with dismantling large swatches of the US government.
The two, raising questions over whether the world's richest man was meeting the Indian leader in an official or business capacity.
Modi, a prolific user of Musk's X, said later that he has known Musk since before he became prime minister.
Modi promises collaboration on anti-migrant crackdown
![Trump and Modi have shared a close relationship since the Republican's first term as president.](https://media.tag24.de/951x634/h/o/ho3hkkzcvxoi4i1bjk0k5nvp8f25tgx6.jpg)
Modi offered quick tariff concessions ahead of his visit, with New Delhi slashing duties on high-end motorcycles – a boost to Harley-Davidson, the iconic US manufacturer whose struggles in India have irked Trump.
India has already accepted a US military flight carrying 100 shackled immigrants last week as part of Trump's anti-migrant crackdown. The treatment drew protests from India's opposition, which accused Modi of sacrificing the dignity of citizens to please Trump.
Modi at the news conference vowed to keep cooperating, claiming that undocumented Indians are being lured by human traffickers.
"Any verified Indian who is in the US illegally, we are fully prepared to take them back to India," Modi said.
Trump in turn announced the US would extradite to India a suspect in the bloody 2008 siege of Mumbai, whom he called "one of the very evil people in the world."
Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a Canadian citizen of Pakistani origin who was based in Chicago, was convicted in 2011 and later sentenced to 13 years in prison. His extradition was expected after he lost an appeal to the US Supreme Court.
Cover photo: Andrew Harnik / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP