Trump praises PM Modi as ‘tough’ leader, says going to have trade deal with India

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday (October 29, 2025) praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the “nicest-looking guy” while describing him as a “father” but also calling him “a killer” and “tough as hell”, while hinting at an imminent trade deal between the two countries.

While delivering his keynote remarks at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEOs Luncheon in Gyeongju, South Korea, the U.S. President also reiterated his disputed claim of personally averting a “nuclear war” between India and Pakistan in May.

Mr. Trump asserted that his intervention helped de-escalate tensions between the two nuclear-armed nations, claiming that seven planes were shot down during the conflict. He said he personally contacted both PM Modi and Pakistan’s leadership to halt the hostilities, linking the resolution to trade negotiations.

“I’m doing a trade deal with India, and I have great respect and love for Prime Minister Modi. We have a great relationship. Likewise, the Prime Minister of Pakistan is a great guy. They have a field marshal. You know why he’s a field marshal? He’s a great fighter. And I know them all. I’m reading that seven planes were shot down. These are two nuclear nations. And they’re really going at it,” Mr. Trump said.

“And I called Prime Minister Modi and said, ‘We can’t make a trade deal with you… You’re starting a war with Pakistan. We’re not going to do it.’ And then I called Pakistan and said, ‘We’re not going to do trade with you because you’re fighting with India.’ They said, ‘No, no, you should let us fight.’ They both said that. They’re strong people. Prime Minister Modi is the nicest-looking guy. He looks like you’d like to have your father, but he’s a killer. He’s tough as hell. ‘No, we will fight,’ (PM Modi said). I said, ‘…this is the same man that I know’,” he added.

The U.S. President also compared his handling of the situation to that of former U.S. President Joe Biden, questioning whether Mr. Biden could have achieved similar results.

“After literally two days, they called up, and they said, ‘We understand,’ and they stopped fighting. How is that? Isn’t that amazing? Now, do you think Biden would have done that? I don’t think so,” he concluded.

Mr. Trump’s comments on the India-Pakistan conflict refer to the escalation in May following India’s Operation Sindoor, a series of precision strikes on nine terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that killed 26 civilians.

The U.S. President had been repeating his claims of playing a key role in helping de-escalate tensions between India and Pakistan, arguing that trade and tariffs were instrumental to the U.S. in preventing conflicts.

India has consistently refuted Mr. Trump’s claims, stating that the ceasefire was achieved bilaterally through the Director Generals of Military Operations, without third-party involvement. India has also reiterated its long-standing position that any issues with Pakistan, including those related to Jammu and Kashmir, are to be resolved bilaterally between the two countries.