Davos 2026: Modi is in a stronger position than most leaders, Ian Bremmer on dealing with Trump

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is among the world leaders best placed to push back against US President Donald Trump, American political scientist Ian Bremmer told India Today's Rajdeep Sardesai on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos. 

Bremmer said India's economic growth, political stability, and limited trade dependence on the US give New Delhi strategic room that many countries lack. He also said that recent developments show that pushing back against Trump can work, but only for leaders with the capacity and political authority to sustain that approach.

"There is a strategy to push back on Trump and succeed. But you have to have a leader who is willing and capable of actually executing on that policy," said Bremmer, who is the President of Eurasia Group.

He cited Chinese President Xi Jinping as the clearest example. "The obvious example of that is Xi Jinping. Trump hit the Chinese hard with tariffs. China did not pick up the phone. Instead, they retaliated, including on critical minerals and basically showed the Americans, without panicking, they showed the Americans, 'We will shut down your industries if you don't actually treat us with respect'."

Bremmer said the outcome of that confrontation has shifted the dynamic between Washington and Beijing. "What's happening now? Trump meets with Xi Jinping in Busan. He calls it a G2. He treats China as a peer, and now he's traveling to Beijing. It's going to be a much more successful meeting," he said.

He argued that Xi Jinping's political position gives him an advantage in dealing with Trump. "So Xi Jinping was in the position that he could make that happen," Bremmer said.

Turning to Canada, the noted political scientist said Prime Minister Mark Carney believes he is also strong enough to confront Trump, but that strategy carries risks. "Now, Mark Carney thinks that he is in a stronger position and that's why he's pushing Trump around," he said, referring to his hard-hitting speech at the WEF. 

However, Bremmer warned that the gamble may not pay off. "But I saw in that speech that Trump gave here at Davos, he called out Mark Carney a number of times, and he said, 'we're not going to tolerate that'. This is a risk that Mark Carney is taking," he said.

"I happen to think that it is a politically savvy move for him as prime minister, but it is possible that that risk will not pay off. It's possible that Canada will end up in a recession because of that risk and because of Trump hitting back. Because Canada is not only a much smaller economy, but it's very dependent on the US economy," he added.

By contrast, Bremmer said India's position is structurally different as it is not very dependent on the US trade. "Now, India, you've got a country that is growing by over 7%. You've got a leader who is very popular. Yes, a coalition government, but he's done very well in local elections recently, Bihar and the rest," he said. "And not only that, the Indians are not that dependent on trade with the United States," Bremmer said.

Bremmer also pointed to India’s strategic value to Washington. "India is useful to the US in its strategic relationship as a hedge against China with the Quad and the rest. So, I believe that Modi is in one of the stronger positions to push back against Trump than most leaders in the world," he added.