The relationship between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump, once marked by grand rallies like “Howdy Modi” and “Namaste Trump,” has unraveled in recent months. Modi, who once called Trump “a true friend,” is now officially on the outs.
After initially promising to attend the Quad summit in India this fall, Trump has dropped those plans, according to people familiar with his schedule.
The breakdown followed a tense June phone call in which Modi rejected Trump’s push for a Nobel Peace Prize nomination, denying Washington had any role in brokering the India-Pakistan cease-fire.
Weeks later, Trump imposed steep tariffs, escalating tensions.
In India, an effigy of Trump was paraded in Maharashtra, with officials denouncing his tactics as “gundagardi,” or thuggery.