Trump calls Modi ‘fantastic man’, then mimics him

President Donald Trump on Monday lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi as “a fantastic man” and “a beautiful man”, but voiced his renewed dissatisfaction over the 50 per cent tariff that America’s iconic Harley-Davidson motorcycles were up against in India.

It was the second time within a fortnight that Trump brought up the Harley-Davidson issue, remarking that India’s reduction of tariff on the company’s motorcycles from 100 per cent to 50 per cent, personally conveyed to him by Modi, was “not a favour”.

Trump, touting his push for fair and reciprocal trade deals, once again sought to contrast the 50 per cent duty on Harleys to the “zero” tariff that the US was charging on Indian motorcycles sold in America.

Dwelling on the issue at a White House meeting with US State Governors, Trump assumed a Modi-like soft and persuasive tone as he recalled a recent telephone conversation with the Prime Minister on the subject.

“Now, the Prime Minister, who I think is a fantastic man, called me the other day.  He said, “We are lowering it (the tariff on Harleys) to 50 percent.”  I said, “Okay, but so far we’re getting nothing.” So we get nothing, he gets 50 [per cent], and they think they’re doing us a favour,” Trump said, adding: “That’s not a favor. And you know what I’m talking about.”

But India has a motorcycle company that does a lot of business in the US, Trump said, commenting: “We get zero (in tariffs). They (India) get 100 per cent, brought down to 75, brought down now to 50. Okay.”

Then, in an apparent imitation of Modi, Trump clasped his hands and switched to a soft tone, remarking with a tinge of sarcasm: “He said it so beautifully. He’s a beautiful man. And he said, “I just want to inform you that we have reduced it to 75 (per cent), but we have further reduced it to 50”. And I said, “Huh”. What do I say?  Am I supposed to be thrilled?”

Harley-Davidson itself has not made the Indian tariffs such a big issue, Trump admitted, commenting: “When I spoke with your chairman or the president of Harley, they weren’t even asking for it because they’ve been ripped off with trade so long that they were surprised that I brought it up.  I’m the one that’s pushing it more than they are, but it’s unfair.”

“And that’s not good for you people, especially as governors. It’s just not right. And we have many deals like that,” Trump said and shifted his focus on China – a country with which “we (the US) probably lost $504 billion last year on trade”.