PM Modi First Reaction To Trump’s ‘Friends With Modi’ Remark

Prime Minister Modi has responded to US President Donald Trump’s “friends with Modi” comment, stating he “deeply appreciate[s] the sentiments.” The remarks follow a public disagreement over India’s trade policy and its purchases of Russian oil.

September 6, 2025: President Donald Trump has sent contradictory signals about the US-India relationship. He has said that he will “always be friends with” Indian PM Modi, but he has also said that he doesn’t like what the Indian government has done lately. The statements come at a time when emotions are high over trade tariffs and India’s ongoing purchases of Russian oil.

President Trump told reporters that the US and India have a “very special relationship” and that there is “nothing to worry about.” But he also said, “I’ll always be friends with him, but I don’t like what he’s doing right now.” This statement came after he said on Truth Social that the US has “lost India and Russia to China.”

Trade and geopolitical alignments are causing problems.
There have been some important problems that have caused the relationship to become strained recently:

Tariffs: The Trump administration has put a 50% tariff on goods coming from India. New Delhi branded this “unjustified and unreasonable.”

Trump said he was “disappointed” that India still buys a lot of oil from Russia, which he said indirectly supports the war in Ukraine.

Geopolitical Concerns: The President’s comments also come after the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) conference in China, where Indian Prime Minister Modi was seen being friendly with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Trump administration is worried that India is moving away from the US.

There has been some public tension between the two leaders, but they have a long history of getting along well. PM Modi was one of the first foreign leaders to meet Trump in Washington this year. They promised to quadruple trade between their two countries by 2030. But reports say that the “bromance” between the two leaders has recently soured since they have been disagreeing on trade and foreign policy issues.