‘If India attacked, we will help’: Trump in PM Modi’s presence

3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jun 17, 2026 09:32 PM IST

Asked if India was expected to play a role in West Asia, US President Donald Trump said it "plays a big role in everything". (PTI Photo)

“We (US) will be there to help” if India is attacked, President Donald Trump told reporters in France’s Evian on Wednesday as he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a bilateral meeting. During a joint press briefing with Modi on the sidelines of the G7 summit, Trump said India and the US have a great relationship.

“I think it is a great relationship…If they were attacked, we would be there to help them…If anybody attacks that man, we are going to be there…If they are attacked and he (PM Modi) is the leader, we are going to be there to help,” Trump told the press.

#WATCH | Evian, France | On India-US defence relations, US President Donald Trump says, “I think it is a great relationship…If they were attacked, we would be there to help them…If anybody attacks that man, we are going to be there…If they are attacked and he (PM Modi) is… pic.twitter.com/45pjpLY39e

— ANI (@ANI) June 17, 2026

Modi and Trump had met a day earlier in France, their first in-person meeting in 16 months. This period saw the bilateral relationship strained by last week’s American attacks on seafarers when three Indian were killed and Washington’s high tariffs that disrupted New Delhi’s exports.

India’s role in West Asia

Trump was asked if he expected India to play any role in West Asia. Trump responded in the affirmative, saying “India plays a big role in everything”.

“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 talked about his personal equation with India.

“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 praises Modi

Trump also called Modi a “very tough negotiator” when asked about the trade deal.

#WATCH | Evian, France: Speaking about PM Modi, US President Donald Trump says, “…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…… pic.twitter.com/zpo9AfaXGR

— ANI (@ANI) June 17, 2026

Trump 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… We’ll be going to India sometime in the future.”