MC EXCLUSIVE We’re going to have a good deal with India:  Donald Trump to Moneycontrol

US President Donald Trump

• Speaking to Moneycontrol when asked about the India-US trade agreement, Trump said he held Prime Minister Modi in high regard and described him as a close friend.

Did our AI summary help?

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday expressed confidence about the future of India-US trade ties, praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi and signalling optimism on a bilateral trade deal.

Speaking to Moneycontrol when asked about the India-US trade agreement, Trump said he held Prime Minister Modi in high regard and described him as a close friend. “I have great respect for your Prime Minister. He’s a fantastic man and a friend of mine. We are going to have a good deal,” the US President said.

Trump made this comment while speaking to Moneycontrol, following his address at the 56th Annual Summit of the World Economic Forum.

US President Donald Trump struck an optimistic tone on India-US trade negotiations, even as Washington and New Delhi remain locked in high-stakes talks to resolve a prolonged trade standoff.

The negotiations have been shaped by issues ranging from tariffs and market access to geopolitical considerations, as well as disagreements over energy and agricultural trade.

Moneycontrol Mega Exclusive | "I have great respect for your Prime Minister. He’s a fantastic man and a friend of mine… We are going to have a good deal."

~ US President Donald Trump tells @chandrarsrikant on the sidelines of #Davos2026, expressing optimism over an… pic.twitter.com/TWGkOnhnrA — Moneycontrol (@moneycontrolcom) January 21, 2026

Asked directly about the prospects of a trade agreement with India, the US President offered a brief but positive assessment. “We are going to have a good deal,” Trump said.

India and the United States have so far held six rounds of negotiations covering both a broader Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) and an interim arrangement aimed at lowering reciprocal tariffs, as the two sides work to break a prolonged trade deadlock.

Discussions around a formal BTA gained momentum in February, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump set an ambitious new target for bilateral trade during their meeting. The leaders announced “Mission 500”, a goal to more than double two-way trade to $500 billion by 2030.

As part of this roadmap, India and the US had planned to negotiate the first tranche of a mutually beneficial, multi-sector BTA by the fall of 2025. While that timeline has since slipped, India’s Chief Economic Adviser has indicated that an interim trade pact could still be finalised by at least March 2026.

A trade deal has taken on added urgency for New Delhi, with Indian exports worth around $48.2 billion currently facing elevated US tariffs. At the same time, India is keen to ensure that exports to the American market remain on a growth path.

Electronics shipments, which remain tariff-free, have emerged as a key driver of export growth to the US so far, even as higher duties continue to weigh on other sectors, Agrawal said.

Despite the tariff challenges, trade numbers remain robust. Government data shows that India’s exports to the US rose 9.8 per cent year-on-year to $65.9 billion during the April–December period of FY26, underlining the importance of the US as a critical trading partner.

India and the United States remain committed to finalising a bilateral trade agreement, the Ministry of External Affairs said on January 9, underscoring that negotiations between the two countries have been underway for nearly a year.

The MEA noted that the intent to negotiate a trade pact dates back to February 13 last year, following which both sides have engaged in multiple rounds of discussions.

“India and the United States were committed to negotiating a bilateral trade agreement with the US as far as far back as 13th of February last year. That is, since then, two sides have held multiple rounds of negotiations to arrive at a balanced and mutually beneficial trade agreement,” the MEA said.