How Trump Went From Mocking India to Calling Modi ‘Great’
US President Donald Trump in an interview with Axios.
By MANISH ANAND
Donald Trump’s rhetoric on India has undergone a remarkable transformation. From describing India in highly critical terms to publicly praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the former US president’s evolving stance reflects changing geopolitical realities and strategic interests.
New Delhi, June 20, 2026 — In the world of opaque high-stakes diplomacy, a few cues may unravel a carefully hidden script. US President Donald Trump’s effusive praises for Prime Minister Narendra Modi giveaway such cues — decoded with nervousness by some and cheered by others for the confirmation of the endorsement by the world’s most powerful leader.
In an interview with Axios, Trump said “India’s big.” The US President also said, “Modi’s great.” He was asked for a second name alongside Xi Jinping of China who could be world’s two big things.
“If I ask you who are the two greatest, or leaders you like the most on the world stage.” This question by Axios found Trump, saying: “I think Modi is very good. Yeah, they’ve had some very good numbers announced. He stays out of wars, which is smart. He’s 1.5 billion people. He’s actually the biggest. India’s actually the biggest.”
The US President seemingly was comparing India and China. And he ended calling “India’s actually the biggest.” The subtext of his remarks could be the growing worry in Washington as Beijing challenges the American power at the world stage.
But the dramatic turnaround in Trumpian rhetoric around India — from calling India a “hell Hole” and “India is a dead economy” to “India’s great” — could be possibly explained by the India-US bilateral trade deal, which has been spoken of as almost a done deal with 99 percent of works done.
The trade deal with India on a favourable term for Washington is arguably a big achievement for Trump and his MAGA constituency. That the deal may swing the scale of the trade in the favour of the US was suggested by Trump in his further remarks to Axios.
“Modi’s a great leader, and we do a lot of business with them, but now we do fair business. They used to really rip us off. I don’t blame them for that. We had stupid politicians…But now we do a lot of business. They’re (India) not that happy about it because they used to do a lot better. But Modi’s great,” Trump stated.
US Secretary of the State Marco Rubio in the presence of External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar had said in New Delhi that “India has committed to buying $500 billion of American goods in five years.” India has not yet denied Rubio’s claims.
Those who will be nervous about the assertions of Trump may also include some of the affiliates of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), the ideological mentor of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The likes of Swadeshi Jagran Manch and Bharatiya Kisan Sangh are squirming over the prospects of a trade deal India signing with the US which will be favourable to Washington, including granting access to India’s large agriculture markets.
For Trump, a trade deal on favourable terms with India could become a big talking point for the Mid Term elections in the US. Republicans are reportedly under pressure as affordability issue seems to be giving an edge to the Democrats.
From “Hell Hole” to “Angel”: Trump’s Modi Praise Masks Tough India-US Trade Battle
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