Modi-Trump remained friends even when the President wasn’t in power: Sergio Gor on how the India-US trade deal took off
"When the rest of the world turned on President Trump in the four years of him being outside the White House, PM Modi remained a friend," said Sergio Gor.
- Mar 13, 2026,
- Updated Mar 13, 2026 12:09 PM IST
India-US trade deal: A big part of how the India-US trade deal came to be is the friendship between US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor. He said that the two leaders share a close, personal bond that has reflected in the trade deal.
Speaking at the India Today Conclave 2026, Gor said, “The only two people who got this deal done were President Trump and PM Modi. This deal has been pending for a long time. One of the reasons this deal got done was because of their deep, personal friendship. That is something President Trump truly admires in your prime minister.”
“Not only is your prime minister a friend today, their friendship goes back years, including the years the president was out of the White House. When the rest of the world turned on President Trump in the four years of him being outside the White House, PM Modi remained a friend. He didn’t need to. The president was not in the White House. That’s something the president appreciates and holds very near and dear. It’s one thing when you are in the Oval Office – every leader wants to get in there and talk to the President. And it’s another thing when you are outside and out of power. So the president truly considers the prime minister a dear friend because they kept in touch, they respected each other and that transcends them being in office,” said Gor.
He acknowledged that it was his presence in Delhi and the little push he gave that brought the two sides together. “But the deal, the elements of the puzzle were always there,” he said.
The ambassador said that India is a tough negotiator and it had done a “phenomenal job” of protecting India. However, Trump’s job is to look out for the people of the US, he said. Gor said that there have been many remarks in the Indian media, and many people have speculated about things that are not in the deal.
“You have had a phenomenal team here that has negotiated on your behalf for many years. And people said, ‘why is this deal taking so long?’ In reality, we got this deal done in almost a year. To put that in perspective, the European Union deal took 19 years. It took place at a rapid pace, and it got done because of their personal friendship,” said Gor.
India-US trade deal: A big part of how the India-US trade deal came to be is the friendship between US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor. He said that the two leaders share a close, personal bond that has reflected in the trade deal.
Speaking at the India Today Conclave 2026, Gor said, “The only two people who got this deal done were President Trump and PM Modi. This deal has been pending for a long time. One of the reasons this deal got done was because of their deep, personal friendship. That is something President Trump truly admires in your prime minister.”
“Not only is your prime minister a friend today, their friendship goes back years, including the years the president was out of the White House. When the rest of the world turned on President Trump in the four years of him being outside the White House, PM Modi remained a friend. He didn’t need to. The president was not in the White House. That’s something the president appreciates and holds very near and dear. It’s one thing when you are in the Oval Office – every leader wants to get in there and talk to the President. And it’s another thing when you are outside and out of power. So the president truly considers the prime minister a dear friend because they kept in touch, they respected each other and that transcends them being in office,” said Gor.
He acknowledged that it was his presence in Delhi and the little push he gave that brought the two sides together. “But the deal, the elements of the puzzle were always there,” he said.
The ambassador said that India is a tough negotiator and it had done a “phenomenal job” of protecting India. However, Trump’s job is to look out for the people of the US, he said. Gor said that there have been many remarks in the Indian media, and many people have speculated about things that are not in the deal.
“You have had a phenomenal team here that has negotiated on your behalf for many years. And people said, ‘why is this deal taking so long?’ In reality, we got this deal done in almost a year. To put that in perspective, the European Union deal took 19 years. It took place at a rapid pace, and it got done because of their personal friendship,” said Gor.