US President Donald Trump has once again made sweeping claims about India’s defence purchases, trade ties, and geopolitical choices, attributing key developments to his personal equation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The remarks, delivered at the House GOP Member Retreat, were heavy on anecdote and assertion but light on verifiable detail, a pattern that has marked several of Trump’s recent statements on India.
Referring to delays in the delivery of Apache attack helicopters, Trump claimed that PM Modi personally approached him to resolve the issue. Recounting the interaction, Trump said, “India ordered Apache helicopters and didn't get them for 5 years. Prime Minister Modi came to see me. Sir, may I see you please? Yes!” He went on to emphasise their personal rapport, adding, “I have a very good relationship with him.”
Trump suggested that the stalled defence deal was now back on track, stating, “We're changing it. India ordered 68 Apaches.” He did not, however, offer any specifics on timelines, contractual terms, or the reasons behind earlier delays, leaving the claim largely unsubstantiated.
While praising Modi personally, Trump also alleged friction over trade policy. “He's not that happy with me because, you know, they're paying a lot of tariffs now. Because they're not doing the oil,” Trump said, linking India’s tariff burden directly to its energy purchases. He further claimed that New Delhi had scaled back imports from Moscow, asserting, “But they are, they've reduced it very substantially, as you know, from Russia.”
These assertions came alongside Trump’s broader defence of his tariff strategy. “We're getting rich because of tariffs, by the way. Hope everyone understands,” he said, before claiming, “I have to report we're gonna have over 650 billion dollars poured into our country or coming in shortly because of tariffs.” No evidence or breakdown was provided to support these figures.
The rhetoric hardened earlier this week when Trump openly threatened further economic pressure on India. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, he said, “We could raise tariffs on India if they don't help on the Russian oil issue.” At the same time, he reverted to praise for Modi, saying, “PM Modi's a very good man. He's a good guy. He knew I was not happy. It was important to make me happy. They do trade, and we can raise tariffs on them very quickly.”
The United States has already imposed a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods, including a 25 per cent levy explicitly linked to India’s continued purchase of Russian oil. Washington has framed these measures as part of a broader effort to pressure countries to curtail energy trade with Moscow.
Trump’s latest remarks fit into a wider pattern of expansive claims about India that New Delhi has previously rejected outright. Most notably, Trump has repeatedly asserted that he mediated between India and Pakistan during the May conflict, a claim the Indian government has categorically denied. Against that backdrop, his comments on defence deals, tariffs and energy policy appear less like disclosures of behind-the-scenes diplomacy and more like another attempt to place himself at the centre of decisions that India insists remain firmly sovereign and strategic.
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