Trump calls PM Modi a 'nicest looking guy, tough as hell' amid trade talks

Donald Trump said the US is doing a trade deal with India and that the two countries have a 'great relationship'

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (local time) said he has "great respect and love" for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, describing the latter as the "nicest looking man" who is "tough as hell".

 

Trump made these remarks in South Korea ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Summit. "Prime Minister Modi is the nicest looking guy. He looks like he would like to have your father. He is a killer, his stuff is…no, we will fight… Whoa, is this the same man that I know?” he said.

 

He further said the US is doing a trade deal with India, adding that the two countries have a "great relationship".

 

 

India-US trade deal

 

Trump's remarks regarding PM Modi come at a time when he has softened his stance on New Delhi. He earlier imposed a 50 per cent tariff on Indian imports, of which 25 per cent was due to New Delhi's continued purchase of Russian oil. The Trump administration, which has been trying to broker a deal between Russia and Ukraine, has been unsuccessful so far and has blamed India and China for fuelling Russian President Vladimir Putin's war.

 

The two countries are now holding negotiations to address the "trade barriers" between them. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has consistently defended its purchase of Russian oil, citing national energy security needs.

 

Renewed claim on India-Pak conflict

 

While commenting about his trade negotiations with India, Trump reiterated that his intervention resulted in ending the conflict between India and Pakistan in May. "I'm doing a trade deal with India, and I have great respect and love for Prime Minister Modi. We have a great relationship. Likewise, the Prime Minister of Pakistan is a great guy. They have a Field Marshal. You know why he's a Field Marshal? He's a great fighter. And so I know them all. I'm reading that seven planes were shot down. These are two nuclear nations. And they're really going at it," he said.

 

He went on to claim, "And I called Prime Minister Modi and said, we can't make a trade deal with you. No, no, we must make a trade deal. I said, no, we can't. You're starting a war with Pakistan. We're not going to do it. And then I called Pakistan and said, We're not going to do trade with you because you're fighting with India. They said, No, no, you should let us fight. They both said that. They're strong people. Prime Minister Modi is the nicest-looking guy. He's a killer. He's tough as hell. No, we will fight. I said, Whoa, this is the same man that I know. After literally two days, they called up and they said, 'we understand,' and they stopped fighting."

 

Notably, India has repeatedly denied Trump's claims on eding India-Pakistan conflict in May, reiterating that cross-border hostilities were stopped due to bilateral dialogue between the two neighbours.     

 

Trump in South Korea

 

Trump arrived in South Korea on Tuesday (local time) for a series of high-stakes meetings with world leaders, including a proposed meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping.

 

While Trump plans to discuss fentanyl-related tariffs with Xi, the Chinese foreign ministry has not confirmed a meeting between the two leaders.