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Kathmandu. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will try to revive his friendship with Donald Trump and avoid the US president’s wrath on customs and immigration when he meets him at the White House on Thursday. Modi will also hold a joint press conference with Trump, the White House said.
It is a rare move by the Indian leader, who is a prolific user of social media but rarely takes questions from reporters. Modi, the latest in a string of foreign leaders to reach the Oval Office since the Republicans returned to power, had a good relationship with Trump during his first term. Ahead of the prime minister’s visit, New Delhi has offered fast-track customs clearance by cutting tariffs on high-end motorcycles. This is a boon for iconic American manufacturer Harley-Davidson. Harley-Davidson’s India struggles have angered Trump.
India last week also accepted a US military flight carrying 100 detained migrants as part of Trump’s immigration reforms, and New Delhi has vowed its own “strong crackdown” on illegal immigration. India’s top career diplomat Vikram Misri said last week that the leaders have a “very close relationship.” However, their relationship has not led to a long-sought bilateral trade deal. Modi was one of the first to congratulate “good friend” Trump after his election victory in November. For nearly three decades, US presidents of both parties have prioritized building ties with India as a natural ally against a rising China.
But Trump has also previously expressed anger at India over trade, the biggest foreign policy move of his new term, calling the world’s fifth-largest economy “the biggest tax abuser.” Since his return, Trump has unexpectedly weaponized tariffs against friends and foes alike.
“Modi has been preparing for this and he’s trying to contain Trump’s anger,” said Lisa Curtis, the National Security Council director for South Asia during Trump’s first term. Meanwhile, the Hindu-nationalist government of the Indian prime minister has forced Trump to make another top priority, deporting undocumented immigrants. While public attention has focused on Latin American arrivals, India is the third-largest source of undocumented immigrants to the United States, after Mexico and El Salvador.
Indian activists burned effigies of Trump last week after the migrants were returned to the US in chains for the entire journey, while the opposition accused Modi of weakness. With Trump’s return, Modi becomes the fourth world leader to visit the US, after the prime ministers of Israel and Japan and the king of Jordan. Modi has been a staunch Trump-pleaser during his first term. In February 2020, Modi invited Trump to inaugurate the world’s largest cricket stadium in his home state of Gujarat, before a cheering crowd of more than 100,000 people. Trump is likely to visit India later this year for a scheduled summit of the Quad, a four-party grouping of Australia, India, Japan and the United States.
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