Trump calls India a 'very big abuser' of US-India trade ties
During campaign event in Michigan, Donald Trump slams India as "very big abuser" on trade but says Indian PM Narendra Modi is "fantastic" and he will meet with him next week.
Trump and Modi enjoyed warm relations while the former president was in office. / Photo: AP Archive
Former US President and presidential candidate Donald Trump said at a campaign event that India was a "very big abuser" of the US-India trade relationship and that he will meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi next week.
The Republican candidate for the November presidential election, speaking on Tuesday in Flint, Michigan, gave no details on where they would meet.
"He happens to be coming to meet me next week," Trump told the crowd. US President Joe Biden will host a summit with leaders from Australia, India and Japan on September 21 in Delaware.
Analysts say Washington has increasingly seen New Delhi as a counter to China's rising influence in Asia.
Modi will be traveling this weekend to Wilmington, Delaware — President Joe Biden's hometown — as part of the "Quad Leaders" summit alongside Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio.
The four-way Quad grouping dates back to 2007, but Biden has strongly pushed the alliance as part of an emphasis on international alliances to rein in adversaries -- especially China.
Some other world leaders who have visited the US in recent months for meetings with Biden and other summits have ended up meeting Trump as well.
Earlier this year, Trump met with other foreign leaders, including Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whom he regularly mentions in speeches, and Polish President Andrzej Duda, who once proposed naming a military base in his country "Fort Trump." Trump also met with British Foreign Secretary David Cameron.
'Fantastic' Modi
Despite criticising India over trade without being specific, Trump called Modi "fantastic."
Trump and Modi enjoyed warm relations while the former president was in office.
When Trump visited India in 2020, Modi held a huge rally for him that also marked the opening of the world's largest cricket stadium. Rally attendees wore "Namaste Trump" hats to welcome the Republican.
When Modi visited the US in 2019, he and Trump showered each other with praise at a "Howdy, Modi!" rally in Texas attended by more than 50,000.
Modi has also enjoyed good relations with Democratic presidents like Barack Obama and Biden. The White House rolled out the red carpet for him last year, touting deals on defence and commerce.
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