India’s Modi congratulates ‘dear friend’ Trump

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has joined other world leaders in congratulating Donald Trump on his “historic victory” in the US presidential election. In a post on X, Modi referred to the Republican as a “friend,” reflecting the widely accepted personal camaraderie between the two leaders that emerged during Trump’s previous presidential term.  

Trump declared victory in the race for the White House against Democratic rival Kamala Harris earlier on Wednesday, addressing a crowd of his supporters at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in Florida. According to multiple polls, the Republican candidate has won over 30 states, including key swing states, sealing one of the most remarkable political comebacks in American history.  

“Heartiest congratulations my friend @realDonaldTrump on your historic election victory,” Modi said, adding that he looks forward to “renewing our collaboration” to further strengthen the partnership between the two countries. “Together, let’s work for the betterment of our people and to promote global peace, stability, and prosperity.” 

Trump often praised the Indian leader at his campaign rallies, calling Modi a “friend of mine” and “the nicest human being.”  

Speaking on the Flagrant podcast hosted by Andrew Schulz and Akaash Singh last month, Trump claimed that India’s political landscape had been “very unstable” before Modi took office in 2014, even though Modi’s predecessor, Manmohan Singh of the Indian National Congress Party, had been in power for a decade. He also referred to the Indian prime minister as “a total killer.” 

During Modi’s visit to the US in 2019, Trump participated in the grand ‘Howdy, Modi’ rally in Houston, Texas. The event was attended by tens of thousands of Indians and was described by the media as the largest gathering ever for a foreign leader in the US   

“It was me and him, and it was beautiful. There were around 80,000 people, and it felt crazy. We were walking around. Today, maybe I wouldn’t be able to do something like that,” Trump said last month, seemingly alluding to assassination attempts against him.  

In 2020, Trump made his first state visit to India as US president and was welcomed by a 125,000-strong crowd who had gathered for a ‘Namaste Trump’ rally at a cricket stadium in Ahmedabad in the state of Gujarat, which Modi ruled before becoming prime minister.  

Indian foreign policy experts have noted that despite a strategic alignment on defense and security issues during Trump’s first tenure, trade emerged as a sticking point, as Trump’s ‘America First’ policy led to tariff-related disputes between the two countries. Trump recently claimed that India imposes some of the highest tariffs on foreign products and vowed to introduce a reciprocal tax if reelected. The US is the largest destination for Indian merchandise exports, according to the Economic Times. In 2023-24, imports into India from the US amounted to $42.2 billion, while exports from India were valued at $77.52 billion.