WASHINGTON: India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi met US President Donald Trump -- and billionaire Elon Musk -- at the White House on Thursday, with the two national leaders hailing their close bond despite Trump's expanding global trade war.
“He is a great friend of mine. For a long time we’ve had a wonderful relationship,“ Trump said as he greeted Modi in the Oval Office for a visit that he promised would bring “wonderful” trade deals.
Modi, trying to build on the bromance that he fostered with Trump in his first term, said that the two had “the same bond, with the same trust and the same excitement.”
SpaceX and Tesla tycoon Musk -- who has launched an aggressive effort as Trump's right-hand man to overhaul the US bureaucracy -- was in the Oval Office for the talks with Trump.
Musk also held a one-on-one meeting with Modi earlier Thursday, in an encounter that drew questions over whether the world's richest man was meeting the Indian premier in an official or a business capacity.
Modi said the meeting was “very good.”
The Indian premier posted pictures of himself shaking hands with the beaming Musk, with several children on Musk's side of the room, and Indian officials on the other.
The White House said Trump and Modi hoped to agree on a long-sought US-India trade deal and a new defense partnership, while Trump said they would also sign deals on oil and gas.
But Trump had earlier put the leader of the world's most populous nation on notice over possible tariffs.
The meeting came hours after the US president announced reciprocal tariffs on all countries, including India -- but New Delhi is hoping to avoid further levies that Trump says are needed to counter the US trade deficit.
“India, traditionally, is the highest, just about the highest tariff country. They charge more tariffs than any other country. And I mean, we’ll be talking about that,“ Trump told reporters.
“India is a very hard place to do business because of the tariffs.”
US officials said there had been “early body language” from India but there was a “lot more work to do.”
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 migrants last week as part of Trump's immigration overhaul, and New Delhi has vowed its own “strong crackdown” on illegal migration.
Modi is the fourth world leader to visit Trump since his return, following the prime ministers of Israel and Japan, and the king of Jordan.
The Indian prime minister assiduously courted Trump during his first term.
The two share much in common, with both campaigning on promises to promote majority communities over minorities and both doggedly quashing dissent.
In 2020, Modi invited Trump before a cheering crowd of more than 100,000 people to inaugurate the world's largest cricket stadium in his home state of Gujarat.
Trump could visit India later this year for a summit of the Quad -- a four-way grouping of Australia, India, Japan and the United States.
