Trump says India abuser of import tariffs, calls PM Modi fantastic ahead of meet

Former US President Donald Trump stated that he will be meeting with PM Modi next week during his three-day visit to the US. 

In Short

• Donald Trump calls India an 'abuser' of import tariffs
• Trump discusses trade and tariffs at Michigan town hall
• PM Modi to visit US from Sept 21-23 for Quad Summit

Former US President Donald Trump on Tuesday slammed India as "an abuser" on the issue of import tariffs, while praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a "fantastic man".

Speaking on Tuesday at his first public appearance following the recent apparent assassination attempt, the Republican presidential candidate stated that he will be meeting with PM Modi next week during his three-day visit to the US.

PM Modi will be visiting the US from September 21 to 23. He will attend the annual Quad Summit, which will be hosted by US President Joe Biden in Delaware.

Highlighting that India imposes heavy tariffs on imports, Trump stated, “So when India, which is a very big abuser. He (Modi) happens to be coming to meet me next week, and Modi, he's fantastic. I mean, fantastic man. A lot of these leaders are fantastic," news agency PTI reported.

Speaking at a town hall meeting in Flint, Michigan, the former president discussed trade and tariffs in response to a question.

“These countries have some of the sharpest minds. They're not behind the curve at all. You know the saying, they're at the top of their game — and they use that to their advantage against us. India is tough, Brazil is tough... but China is the toughest. However, we were handling China with tariffs,” he explained.

He added, “We’re going to implement reciprocal trade policies. If a country charges us 10 cents, USD 2, or even 250 per cent, we’ll charge them the exact same amount. What will happen? Either everything will balance out, leading to free trade again, or we’ll bring in a lot of revenue."

During the US visit, PM Modi will also address the 'Summit of the Future' at the United Nations General Assembly.

Additionally, he will be meeting a gathering of the Indian community in New York on September 22, according to the external affairs ministry.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Donald Trump last met in February 2020, when the then US President visited India. PM Modi described it as a 'path-breaking moment' in fostering relations between the two nations.

(With inputs from PTI)