'Sir, please...': Trump claims Modi begged to see him
What's the story
United States President Donald Trump has claimed that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally approached him regarding India's pending defense purchases and trade issues. Speaking at the House GOP Member Retreat, Trump said, "India ordered Apache helicopters and didn't get them for five years. Prime Minister Modi came to see me. Sir, may I see you please? Yes!" He added that he shares a good relationship with PM Modi.
Twitter Post
Watch what Trump said here
“India ordered Apache helicopters and didn’t get them for 5 years. PM Modi came to me and said ‘Sir can I please see you?’ and I said yes,” claims U.S. President Donald Trump pic.twitter.com/TNNUpznnjd
— Shashank Mattoo (@MattooShashank) January 6, 2026
Trade tensions
Trump discusses tariffs and defense cooperation with India
Trump also spoke about the tariffs that India is currently paying, saying PM Modi isn't happy with him. "He's not that happy with me because, you know, they're paying a lot of tariffs now. Because they're not doing the oil," Trump said. At the same time, he said India's oil purchases from Russia have been reduced significantly. "But they are—they've reduced it very substantially, as you know, from Russia," he added.
Tariffs
'US is getting richer because of these tariffs'
He claimed the US is getting richer because of these tariffs. "I hate to report we're gonna have over 650 billion dollars poured into our country or coming in shortly because of tariffs, you know." He had shared a similar message earlier on social media, calling the upcoming Supreme Court tariff decision "one of the most important ever." The core issue revolves around whether Trump legitimately invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose the tariffs.
Tariff warning
Trump hints at potential tariff increases on India
Earlier this week, Trump had hinted that tariffs could be raised on India if they don't cooperate on the Russian oil issue. He described PM Modi as a "very good man" and emphasized the importance of keeping him happy. Currently, there is a 50% tariff on Indian goods, with a 25% levy linked to India's purchase of Russian oil.