Trump confirms US-India trade deal 'pretty close', promises a 'different' kind of agreement

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (Oct 20) said that the much-awaited US-India trade deal was "pretty close". His remarks echoed the earlier statement by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said that the bilateral trade agreement was "incredibly close" and that finalisation was anticipated shortly.

According to the POTUS, the upcoming deal was slated to be of a "much different kind" than any the US has "made in the past".

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What did Trump say exactly?

During a news briefing on Tuesday, Trump was asked if the trade deal with India was close. "They want to make a deal. We're going to make a deal. Pretty close, yeah. Going to be a much different kind of a deal than we've made in the past," he said.

Earlier, during an interview, Rubio had noted that the deal is expected "in a matter of weeks, not months". He stressed that it was in the final stages, noting, "with these deals, it’s always important that it would be totally agreed to, every detail of it, before it’s announced because you can’t afford for a relationship of this magnitude to be threatened by announcing a deal and it turning out the deal wasn’t finalised."

"But it’s incredibly close. I think we are down to some technical details that need to be worked out. Technical details matter because there has to be an agreement; both sides have to agree that the language means the same thing. So, it’s down to that level," he said.

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Why the US-India trade deal matters

The India–US Bilateral Trade Agreement represents a significant milestone in India’s global trade relations, ensuring continued preferential access for Indian exports to the US market worth over $30 trillion. The agreement provides thorough tariff rationalisation, duty-free access for many product categories, improved digital and technology collaboration, and a carefully designed framework to protect India’s farmers, MSMEs, and domestic industry.