A pointed remark at a political gathering has once again placed trade and defense relations between India and the U.S. under the spotlight.
Speaking at the House GOP Member Retreat on January 6, 2026, Donald Trump said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is “not that happy with me” due to tariffs imposed by Washington on India.
Trump claimed the tariffs were linked to India’s purchases of Russian oil. “I have a very good relationship with him. He’s not that happy with me because you know they’re paying a lot of tariffs now,” he said, adding that India has “reduced it very substantially” from Russia.
Trump also stated that the U.S. has imposed total tariffs of 50% on India, including 25% tied specifically to Russian oil purchases.
Referring to a past interaction, Trump said, “Prime Minister Modi came to see me, ‘Sir, may I see you please’. Yes.” He further claimed that India has been waiting for 5 years to receive Apache helicopters. “We’re changing it. We’re changing it. India ordered 68 Apaches,” Trump said.
The comments come amid continued trade negotiations and defense coordination between the two countries.
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