Former US President Donald Trump has described Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a ‘great leader’ and a ‘very tough person’. Trump said that Modi gave political stability to India and he is one of the two greatest leaders in the world.
Washington: Former US President Donald Trump has once again openly praised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Trump has described Modi as a “great leader” and a “very tough guy”. He said that after years of political turmoil, PM Modi has given stability to India. In an exclusive interview to ‘Axios’, Trump recalled the political history of India and said that he has kept a close eye on how governments in India used to come and go before Modi became the leader for a long time.
India got stability under the leadership of Modi
Trump said, “I have seen India my whole life. Governments and Prime Ministers kept changing there. Some stayed for six months, some for one year. But suddenly Prime Minister Modi came there. He has been in power for more than 12 years now with great strength and stability.”
According to Trump, Modi has the balance of ability to take tough decisions and calm nature. He said, “He works very calmly. This does not mean that he is soft-natured. He is a very strict person. I know him very closely.”
Modi is one of the two biggest leaders of the world!
During the interview, the journalist asked, “Who are the two biggest leaders in the world?” The journalist himself guessed that one of them could be Chinese President Xi Jinping and asked who the other leader was.
On this question, Trump took the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with Xi Jinping. He said, “Modi is a very capable leader. India’s economic development figures have been very good. Modi stays away from unnecessary wars, it is his wisdom. India is the largest country in the world.” Giving his opinion on leadership, Trump said, “Leadership means power, influence and the ability to convert that power into action. Modi is a very good person and India’s economy is excellent. He stays away from wars, this is a smart decision. India is currently the largest country in the world with a population of 150 crores.”
Change in business relationships
Talking about economic and trade relations between Washington and New Delhi, Trump said that now the business between the two countries has completely changed. He said, “Modi is a great leader, we do a lot of business with him. But now we are doing a fair trade. Earlier India used to loot us (Rip us off). I do not blame India for this, our stupid politicians allowed this. But now we are doing business on a large scale. They (India) are not very happy with it, because earlier they used to get more benefits.”
Such actors will not be found even in Hollywood!
Comparing PM Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump described both of them as unmatched political personalities. Trump jokingly said, “President Jinping is a wonderful leader, his personality is classic. If you set out to make a film on these two, you would not find actors to play such characters even in Hollywood.”
Trump praised Jinping’s confidence and seriousness, while saying that Modi commands respect in a different way. Praising Modi, Trump said, “Modi’s style is different, he is highly respected in the world. I know the real Modi, he is a tough person who takes tough decisions.”
This statement has come at a time when some tension was seen in diplomatic relations between India and America for the last one year. In this backdrop, PM Modi and President Trump met on Wednesday on the sidelines of the G-7 summit in France and had long discussions to get bilateral relations back on track.