'Trade Deal With India Soon': US Commerce Secretary Praises PM Modi, His Ties With Trump
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US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick praised PM Narendra Modi and expressed optimism about a forthcoming US-India trade deal.
Howard Lutnick, US Secretary of Commerce, on Tuesday praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said he was optimistic for a trade deal between India and the United States.
Speaking at the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum Annual Leadership Summit in Washington, DC, Lutnick also said President Donald Trump deeply admires and respects India.
'We have a great relationship between our countries. I'm optimistic for a trade deal soon that will benefit both nations," Lutnick said at the Summit.
'President Donald Trump is the only person in our administration elected by the full United States of America, and so is Prime Minister Modi in India. If you think about the world, how many other leaders have actually been elected by their country? Very, very rare, so that connection is pretty unique because it's rare," he said.
'So their (Trump and PM Modi's) relationship is very strong and very positive. That gives me an easy path to trade negotiations because we start from a very positive place," Lutnick added.
Also speaking about Donald Trump's 'America First' doctrine, Lutnick said, 'The President thinks America first, but he does not think America only or America exclusively."
'First, he's got to take care of home, so we're big and strong. But then he's going to take care of his allies. He is going to make sure he takes care of India, which he deeply, deeply admires and respects, and we are going to have a great, great relationship together," the US Commerce Secretary said.
First Published:
June 03, 2025, 07:56 IST
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