Signum's Charles Myers on why Trump invited Pak PM to White House: 'This is what he always does ...'

The growing closeness between US and Pakistan under Donald Trump is emerging as a complicating factor in Washington’s ties with India but the ties between Washington and Islamabad are largely "transactional", Signum Global Advisors founder Charles Myers said.

Speaking at the second edition of Moneycontrol's Global Wealth Summit 2026, Myers said that Pakistan's close ties with US in recent months has definitely added to some complications with India but added that President Donald Trump is looking at it from a purely transactional standpoint.

"The fact that the United States and Pakistan are closer today has been another complicating factor in the US-India bilateral. But I would say that on Pakistan, what President Trump is doing is what he always does, which is you will negotiate with anybody and he likes to deescalate tension," he said.

He also suggested that Trump’s decision to invite Pakistan’s prime minister to Washington may have been motivated by strategic and economic considerations.

"I also believe when he invited the Prime Minister of Pakistan to the White House, it was also transactional. President Trump is incredibly transactional. It's about Pakistan's rare earths. It's also about national security," he said.

Trump hosted Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan Field Marshal Asim Munir at the White House last year, just weeks after Operation Sindoor.

The move derew attention in New Delhi and among foreign policy observers given the traditionally sensitive nature of United States–Pakistan relationship.

Earlier, Pakistan publication Dawn quoted sources as saying that Islamabad secured a meeting between Trump and Munir due to the deepening counter-terrorism cooperation and engagement with crypto-linked influence networks.

Islamabad recently signed a memorandum of understanding with a fintech firm affiliated with World Liberty Financial, a crypto venture tied to the Trump family, to explore the use of a US dollar–pegged stablecoin for cross-border payments.

The move raised eyebrows because it came at a time when Pakistan’s own regulatory framework around digital assets remains weak and the country’s financial system is under stress.

Pakistan has also sought to pitch itself to Washington through promises of cooperation on issues ranging from critical minerals to counter-terrorism.