NEW DELHI: Despite the recent turbulence in India-US ties, the personal chemistry between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump remains the ultimate anchor of the relationship, said US Ambassador Sergio Gor.
Gor, who has worked closely with Trump, emerging as one of his most trusted aides, said there were a lot of similarities between the two leaders. Gor underlined that not only do PM Modi and Trump “think alike”, they also love being “hands-on”.
Known for his frank assessments and widely credited in bringing about a turnaround in US-India ties after last year’s tariff tantrums by Trump, Gor said, despite periodic buzz about strains in the relationship, the chemistry between Trump and PM Modi was “strong”.
‘PM MODI AND TRUMP THINK ALIKE’
“The President and PM Modi are great friends, and that’s something that goes back years ago,” Gor said, referring to the ‘Howdy Modi’ and ‘Namaste Trump’ days during the Republican’s first term.
Calling PM Modi “incredibly dynamic”, Gor said, “He’s incredibly hands-on, and he’s results-driven”.
“In a way, I see a lot of similarities between PM Modi and President Trump, because they both love being hands-on and getting things done… They think alike. They want to deliver,” the US envoy further said.
Gor stressed that these similarities between Trump and PM Modi were the “core anchors” of their relationship. “The Prime Minister wants something done, he moves on it. The President is the same way,” he pointed out.
In fact, the US envoy, a former DJ, is believed to have played an instrumental role in getting PM Modi and Trump to sit down for their first bilateral meeting in over a year last month.
While the signature hug was missing at the G7 Summit, PM Modi and Trump shared a warm handshake – a handshake that was 16 months in the making since PM Modi’s February 2025 visit to the White House.
Since PM Modi’s visit, the ties between India and the US have been tested by Trump’s tariffs, trade tensions, oil sanctions, and, more recently, a US military attack in the Persian Gulf that killed three Indian sailors.
However, during their bilateral meeting, Trump was effusive in his praise for PM Modi, showing there was no daylight between them.
The same Trump, who labelled India a “hellhole” and a “dead economy”, described PM Modi as a “tough trader” but as nice as an “angel”. In the same breath, Trump went as far as to say that “if anybody attacks that man, we are going to be there”.
In his interview, Gor said the meeting was “fantastic”. “It was very warm, over an hour together,” the US envoy said.
Gor said Trump held a positive view of India and was enamoured by the country’s “vibrancy” during his visit in 2017.
Gor added that Trump still spoke about his first visit to India and remained impressed by the country’s energy and people.
“The President’s very warm on India… He reminds me of his first trip to India and the vibrancy that he saw there. It’s something that he’s never forgotten,” he said.
Earlier today, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that Trump would visit India early next year, leading to speculation about whether the President would be the Republic Day chief guest.
ON INDIA-US TRADE DEAL
A key sticking point in the India-US ties has been the trade deal. Gor asserted that it would be completed in the next few weeks, or maybe months.
“There’s a handful of issues that remain… A lot of it is the language that has to be written,” Gor said.
Earlier this week, Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal bluntly said that India was seeking a competitive tariff edge over other regional countries like Thailand, Vietnam and China to the US market.
India and the US reached an initial understanding on the first tranche of the trade deal in February. Subsequently, Trump removed the additional tariffs that the US imposed on India for purchasing Russian oil.
