Political lobbyist Jason Miller on Saturday posted an Oval Office photo-op with President Donald Trump. The post came just hours after PM Narendra Modi’s social media post appreciating and “fully reciprocating” Trump’s “positive assessment” of India-US ties.

Miller, a close Trump confidant and registered foreign agent for India, shared a photo from the White House on X, describing his visit as a “fantastic week in Washington”. He wrote, “Topped off, of course, by having the opportunity to stop in and see our President in-action!” Though no official agenda was disclosed, timings suggest that the meeting might be significant as both countries navigate renewed trade frictions.

Strained India-US relations

The posts, both of Modi and Miller, came at the end of a rather difficult week between New Delhi and Washington. PM Modi’s presence alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the recently-concluded Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit was received by Trump oddly. 

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The US President had stated that it has “lost India and Russia” to “deep and dark China”. Trump later said that Modi was a “good friend”, but he disagrees with his current policy direction.

Jason Miller, India’s lobbyist in US

In May this year, the Indian government signed a one-year, $1.8 million contract with SHW Partners LLC, Miller’s lobbying firm for their services. Under the agreement, India is paying $150,000 per month for strategic counsel, policy advocacy and government relations support across Congress, state governments, think tanks and academic institutions.

Jason Miller first rose to prominence as Trump’s chief media spokesperson during the 2016 campaign and later became embroiled in controversy over personal misconduct allegations. Despite stepping back from a potential White House role, he remained influential in Trump’s 2020 and 2024 political campaigns.

How has lobbying fared so far?

The investment has not reaped great results for India so far. Despite New Delhi’s substantial investment in Miller’s services, India has been unable to pull off a reasonable tariff deal with the US. In fact, Trump and his administration has only increased their criticism of India over the last few weeks and slapped tariffs that have severely hit textile, gems and jewelery, among other Indian industries.

Because of the deadlock in trade negotiations, tariffs on Indian exports were increased to 25% and Trump also imposed a punitive additional 25% penalty as a retaliatory measure against India’s ongoing imports of Russian oil.