Trump welcomes Modi with a bear hug and a warning: 'Whatever tariffs India charges, we charge them'
World India News | Trump, despite calling Modi a great friend, said India's trade policies were unfair, and emphasised the need for a balanced trade relationship with reciprocal tariffs.
US President Donald Trump on Thursday (Feb 13) welcomed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the White House with a bear hug, calling him "a great friend." But despite the warm greeting, the US president made it clear that India would not be exempt from the sweeping "retaliatory tariffs" he had announced just before the two leaders met.
Also read | PM Modi addresses US deportations of illegal immigrants, says 'they have no legal right to stay'
The two leaders greeted each other with a hug in the lobby of the West Wing, before proceeding to the Oval Office for their bilateral talks.
Trump's retaliatory tariffs order, signed just a while before meeting Modi, seeks to increase tariffs to match the tax rates charged by other countries on US imports. This will impact American trading partners around the world, including India.
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Standing beside Modi during their joint press conference after the bilateral meet, Trump took aim at India's stringent trade policies, describing them as "very unfair and strong".
Trump, who has previously branded India the "tariff king," insisted that the US would respond in kind to whatever tariffs India imposes. "Whatever India charges, we charge them," he said.
"So frankly, it no longer matters to us that much what they charge," he declared.
"Really, we want a certain level-playing field," he added.
The US has a trade deficit of $50 billion with India, as per an ABC report.
In 2023, trade in goods and services between India and the US reached approximately $190.1 billion; the US exported nearly $70 billion and imported about $120 billion from India, according to India's External Affairs Ministry.
(With inputs from agencies)
