PM: ‘Bharat first’ aligns with Trump’s US policy

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday described US President Donald Trump as a brave patriot and said his own personal commitment to India first aligned well with the US President’s ‘America first’ policy.

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Modi made it clear that 140 crore Indians were his “high command” and he would prioritise national interests in his dealings with the US. The remarks, made during a podcast with Lex Fridman, came at a time of tough ongoing trade deal negotiations with the US in the wake of Trump’s reciprocal tariff threat.

Recalling the September 22, 2019, ‘Howdy Modi’ event at Houston, where Trump disregarded security protocols to walk around the stadium with him, Modi said, “Trump’s gesture at Houston touched me. He was brave, took his own decisions and believed in Modi. There was a sense of mutual trust. Later, when he was shot, I saw President Trump as the same person who had not thought twice before accompanying me for a lap of the stadium. The US President’s ‘America first’ approach aligns with my own ‘Bharat first’ philosophy. There is a natural synergy between the two of us,” Modi said as Trump’s April 2 deadline for reciprocal tariffs looms.

The PM also stressed good personal ties with Trump and said, “Whenever anyone known to me met Trump in the years when Joe Biden was US President, he would always send regards.”

On Trump’s “Modi is a tougher negotiator” remarks, the PM said “this is the US President’s greatness” and pledged to keep Indian interests on top in any negotiations.

“All I can say is I consider national interests supreme and everyone knows I will insist on India’s interests. My people are my high command and I will follow their lead,” Modi said, signalling Indian readiness to negotiate tough with the US.

Modi went on to equate his own “minimum government, maximum governance” plan with Elon Musk’s DOGE mission in the US recalling weeding out 100 million ghost beneficiaries from government systems when he first became PM in 2014.

The PM also flagged reduction of 40,000 compliances and repeal of 1,500 laws as examples similar to what Musk’s DOGE seeks to achieve.

Asked by Fridman about India’s peacemaking role at a time of conflicts in the world, Modi said he was hopeful of an early resolution of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Batting for both Ukraine and Russia to sit across the table for any resolution, Modi said India was for coordination and harmony rather than conflict.

“I represent the land of Lord Buddha and Mahatma Gandhi whose lives were devoted to peace. Our cultural and historical background is such that when we speak of peace, the world listens. We are not for conflict, we want harmony and have always tried to play that role,” said Modi.

Modi said he had good ties with both nations which is why he could tell Russia this is not the time for war and tell Ukraine that resolution requires a dialogue.

The PM lamented that the world did not learn any lessons from Covid and chose the path of conflict post the pandemic when it was hoped that a new world order would emerge as it had after WW 2.

Modi added that the UN and its arms had lost their relevance in the absence of reform.