Trump heaps praise for PM Modi at G7: ‘Calm, cool, and a total killer, I am not’

US President Donald Trump was all praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G7 Summit happening in France. During their high-profile encounter at the G7 leaders' lunch on Wednesday, Trump characterised PM Modi as "calm", "cool" and a "total killer".

This was just before the two leaders were scheduled to sit down for a bilateral meeting, their first in over 16 months.

"Unlike PM Modi, who’s calm, cool & a total killer…I am not…look at him," Trump was quoted by several reports as saying. Trump has repeatedly leveraged the expression “total killer” to emphasise that, behind closed doors, PM Modi is an incredibly astute political strategist and an uncompromising negotiator.

He later described PM Modi as an “angel”, a “very tough negotiator” and “the most beautiful-looking man.”

In a press meet held after the bilateral talks between Trump and PM Modi on the sidelines of the G7 Summit 2026, the US President said, “...He's a very tough negotiator... You look at this man. I'll give you a lesson. He's the most beautiful-looking man. He looks so nice, like an angel. But actually, he's as tough as he is a killer... But he looks so good.”

“So he gets you by surprise. But there are a few people like this. People say he's such a nice man. I said he's very tough. He's a tough trader, and he loves the Indian people, but he also loves the USA. We had 'Howdy Modi' in Houston. The stadium was full...” Trump said.

The US President also hinted at a trip to India he may be planning soon. “We'll be going to India sometime in the future,” Trump said.

He added, "As long as I am President, they (India) have a great friend in the White House...Everyone here loves India and they have tremendous respect for this [PM Narendra Modi] man."

Trump added, “He's spending a lot of money in the United States, so we appreciate that—jobs. I just want to say he's been my friend for a long time now, and we've always had a great relationship.”

When asked if he expects India to play any role in West Asia, US President Donald Trump said, “Yes, I do. I think India plays a big role in everything. As long as he [PM Narendra Modi] is the leader, India is going to play a big role.”

Trump also said the United States would defend India. "If they were attacked, we would be there to help them," Trump said, when asked about the US-India defense relationship.

"If anybody attacks that man, we're going to be there," Trump said, referencing Modi. “Now, if there's a new leader, I'm not sure about it,” he added, emphasising, "If they're attacked and he's the leader, we're going to be there to help."

US-India trade deal

US President Donald Trump said Washington is “very close” to finalising a trade deal with India, raising hopes of a breakthrough in ongoing negotiations between the two countries.

The White House had earlier confirmed that the meeting would focus heavily on advancing the proposed India-US trade agreement.

The proposed India-US trade deal is in its final stages, with negotiations progressing steadily and work on the agreement expected to be completed in the coming weeks. The two nations reached an interim trade agreement earlier in February after a year of talks.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer is scheduled to visit India on June 22. Greer will hold a two-day meeting with Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on June 23-24.

The talks will focus on issues related to the proposed interim India-US trade agreement. Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said discussions are expected to give final shape to the framework deal.