Article
Assessing Modi-Trump Summit in Washington

By : Chintamani Mahapatra

Page No: 259-270

Abstract
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Washington, D.C., in February 2025, weeks after the inauguration of President Donald Trump as the 47th President of the United States, to hold a summit level meeting with him. It was for the first time that any Indian leader could be the official guest in the White House within weeks of the beginning of a new administration. Two issues that prominently surfaced to affect Indo-US relations after Donald Trump’s election victory were India’s tariff rates and illegal immigrants from India. Prime Minister Modi went to Washington with a message that India had already reduced tariff rates on a host of goods exported by the US. During the summit, he also stated that India would receive all verified Indian immigrants who had been illegally staying in the United States. Nonetheless, the mercurial American President appeared provocative on occasions, while Modi deftly dealt with the issues.

Author:
Chintamani Mahapatra is the Founder Chairperson of Kalinga Institute of Indo-Pacific Studies and Editor, India Quarterly. He is also a former Professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi.
 

DOI: http://doi.org/10.32381/NS.2025.08.02.10