US President Donald Trump has praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a “great leader” and a “very tough guy”, while also making remarks on India-US trade ties, saying the two countries now engage in “fair business”.
In an interview with Axios, Trump named Chinese President Xi Jinping and Modi among the leaders he admires most for their “power and leverage” and their ability to deliver results.
“I think Modi is very good. Yeah. They've had some very good numbers announced. He stays out of wars, which is smart. He's 1.5 billion people. He's actually the biggest. India's actually the biggest. And Modi's a great leader,” Trump said.
Speaking about India-US economic ties, Trump said Washington now had a more balanced relationship with New Delhi.
“And we do a lot of business with them, but now we do fair business. They used to really rip us off. I don't blame them for that. You know, we had stupid politicians that allowed that to happen. But now we do a lot of business,” he said.
“They're not that happy about it because they used to do a lot better. So Modi's great,” Trump added.
Trump also praised Chinese President Xi Jinping, saying both leaders had qualities that made them stand out.
“If you were going to make a movie about either one of them, you wouldn't be able to find the man in Hollywood,” he said.
Describing Modi’s leadership style, Trump said, “Modi in a very different way. Just highly respected. I know the real Modi is a very tough cookie. I'll tell you, I got to know some that I didn't know very well.”
Trump claimed he had watched India over the years and seen leaders change quite often. “Somebody would be there for six months and then a year. And then all of a sudden, Prime Minister Modi ended up; he's been there for more than 12 years, very solid, ” he said.
“And he does it through, like, there's a great calmness, and yet he's not a calm person. He's a very tough guy,” he added.
The remarks came after Trump and Modi met on the sidelines of the G7 Summit 2026 in France, as the two countries seek to strengthen ties after a period of strain.
Trump also mentioned Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif among leaders he liked.
(With inputs from PTI)