US President Donald Trump tried at least four times in recent weeks to speak with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but Modi refused to take his calls, according to the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ). The paper said this showed “the depth of his anger, but also his caution.”
The attempts came as the Trump administration slapped India with 50% tariffs, the highest for any country except Brazil. The decision marked a sharp downturn in Indo-US relations, which had been carefully built over the past 25 years. Trump accused India of running a trade surplus with the US and also penalised New Delhi for buying Russian crude oil.
Tariffs, Trade with Russia and a War of Words
“FAZ claims that Trump tried to call Modi four times in recent weeks but that Modi refused the calls,” Thorsten Benner, Director of the Berlin-based Global Public Policy Institute, posted on X while sharing the report.
On July 31, Trump said, “I don’t care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together.” Modi appeared to respond indirectly on August 10, declaring that India was on track to become one of the world’s top three economies. FAZ noted that Modi seemed personally offended by Trump’s remark.
Why Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is Refusing Donald Trump’s Calls
The newspaper explained that Trump often used the US market as leverage to pressure other countries. While Modi worked with Trump in his first term, he did not compromise India’s core economic interests. The surprising part now, FAZ said, was Trump’s repeated efforts to persuade Modi. Modi’s refusal to even talk “demonstrates the depth of his anger, but also his caution,” the paper wrote.
That caution has a clear reason. FAZ recalled how Trump once renegotiated a US-Vietnam trade pact during a single phone call with Vietnam’s General Secretary To Lam. Soon after, Trump claimed on social media that a deal had been reached, even though no formal agreement existed. Modi, the paper said, “doesn’t want to fall into the same trap.”
Commenting on the wider picture, Mark Frazier of the New School in New York said America’s Indo-Pacific strategy is faltering. According to him, India never intended to fully side with the US against China, and Washington’s plan is now “collapsing.”
Also Read: Explainer: Trump’s 50% Tariffs On India – The Impact On GDP, Jobs, And The Near $100 Billion Export Market
