Modi and Trump Script Win-Win Outcomes in Washington Summit

President Trump has a shrewd grasp of geopolitical realities, a trait he shares with PM Modi. Both leaders know that Cold War 2.0 is as existential a combat as Cold War 1.0 was.

- M.D. NALAPAT

Across the globe and not just in India, it's hard to beat the innate deal-making capacities of the Gujarati. When he boarded the Prime Ministerial long-haul aircraft for Paris and Washington, the expectation among the anti-Modi crowd was that the US leg would be fraught with trouble over tariffs and trade. Instead, the bilateral meeting with the President of the US went cordially and superbly; both Heads of Government committed to an India First and US First policy respectively. President Trump walked the extra mile to ensure that his guest felt comfortable in Washington, D.C., an example being the accommodation arranged for the PM in Blair House, the official Presidential Guest House. After their bilateral talks, Trump made the rare admission that in Modi, he had met his match in deal-making. Senior members of the US administration, such as Vice-President J.D. Vance and Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, would have reported to the President their take on the expectations of PM Modi, as well as the warm and cordial feelings Modi has had for Trump since 2017. Vice President Vance had met PM Modi in France as one of the three co-chairs of the Paris Artificial Intelligence Summit, together with Modi and Macron.