US President Donald Trump Calls 'Friend' PM Modi A Better Negotiator

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met US President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday, to discuss key bilateral relationships between the two countries. In a meeting between the two leaders, Trump called Modi a better and tougher negotiator.

This is PM Modi's first visit to the US since Trump's historic reelection as US President for a second term. The meeting between the two leaders was full of warmth and praise for each other, as they held talks over issues like trade, defence and combatting terrorism.

Trump particularly applauded PM Modi for doing a “great job in India”. The US President greeted PM Modi with a warm hug, telling him "we missed you a lot".

"I am thrilled to welcome my friend PM Modi. He is a special man," Trump said.

The meeting also became a stage of display for the camaraderie between the two world leaders. Trump was seen pulling a chair for PM Modi during the interaction.

President Donald Trump also presented his book Our Journey Together to PM Modi, in which he wrote, "Mr. Prime Minister, You Are Great".

Trump said that the two have been friends for a long time. "He is doing really a great job in India. Everybody talks about him. He's doing a really fantastic job," Trump said praising Modi.

On being asked about who was a better negotiator between the two during the press interaction, Trump said there was not even a contest.

"He is a much tougher negotiator than me, and he is a much better negotiator than me. There is not even a contest," Trump said.

During PM Modi's visit to Washington, India and the US decided to take a big leap in broad-basing their strategic ties in several critical areas, including defence, energy, and critical technology. The two countries also exchanged views on regional and international developments of mutual interest.

Both leaders have decided to double bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030, with a focus on energy, defence, and technology cooperation. Modi also talked about initiatives like the I-MEECH economic corridor, strengthening supply chains for critical minerals and collaboration in space through ISRO and NASA.

Following the meeting with Modi, Trump announced that Washington was paving the way to provide New Delhi F-35 fighter jets, as part of measures to increase military supplies by billions of dollars.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi departed for India after concluding his visit to the US. Modi arrived in the US from France on Wednesday.