The US-India Strategic Partnership Forum held its eighth annual leadership summit on Monday, June 2 (US time), in Washington, D.C. With ties between the United States and India’s leaders at the forefront, the event spotlighted key addresses Howard Lutnick, the American Secretary of Commerce, and Second Lady Usha Vance among others.
Given his role as the commerce secretary, Lutnick especially took the lead in discussing the future of trade relations between the two nations. “Secretary Lutnick will share his insights on strengthening the U.S.-India strategic and economic partnership to achieve the goal set by President Trump and Prime Minister Modi for $500 billion in bilateral trade,” a statement about the summit highlighted beforehand.
US-India trade deal expected soon, says Howard Lutnick
Taking the stage, Howard Lutnick especially underlined his particular interest in India. “…I am a great fan of India, and even the people in the government know that’s true,” he said at the event.
Meanwhile, speaking on why India is trying its hand in securing a trade deal with the US early on, he explained that the first few nations tend to get a better deal. “I think India is trying hard to be one of the earlier countries which I appreciate,” he went on. “But these kinds of deals used to take two or three years and we’re trying to get them done in a month, which is just not the ordinary DNA of trading relationships between countries.”
He then assured that a deal between American and India can be expected in the “not-too-distant future,” as they seemed to have found a common ground that makes it work for both countries.
US Commerce Secretary shares what unites PM Modi and Trump
During his keynote address in Washington, DC, Lutnick even foregrounded the mutual sense of relatability that brought both US President Donald Trump and India’s very own Prime Minister Narendra Modi together. “President Donald Trump is the only person in our administration elected by the full United States of America and so does PM Modi in India,” he said. The secretary of commerce emphasised the significance of how uncommon it was for leaders to be directly elected by their country, describing that connection as “pretty unique because it’s rare.”
He further noted that the same connection made Trump and Modi’s relationship very strong and positive, making way for an “easy path to trade negotiations because we start from a very positive place.”
#WATCH | Washington DC | "President Donald Trump is the only person in our administration elected by the full United States of America and so does PM Modi in India – if you think about the world, how many other leaders actually elected by their country very, very rare, so that… pic.twitter.com/Jm8S53f2fE
— ANI (@ANI) June 2, 2025
Other US officials on Narendra Modi at the Washington event
Even Rich McCormick, US Congressman and co-chair of the India Caucus, also sung praises about Narendra Modi at the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum on Monday. He called the Indian prime minister the “most influential politician ever in India, probably the most influential person in India since (Mahatma) Gandhi.”
Additionally, he directed the focus to Modi’s humble sense of being, describing him as a “man of the people,” as “people who knew him before he became the Prime Minister talked about him staying and sleeping on the floor when they came to visit.” Commending Modi on his understanding of the world and determination to develop an economy, McCormick added, “They’re on the right track, as a matter of fact, in some ways, I think they’re almost more American than we are right now, in that capitalistic mindset.”
Second Lady Usha Vance was on the same page as the others. In April, she visited Indian along with her husband, US Vice President JD Vance, and their three children. Recalling the good times and her kids’ experience meeting PM Modi, she said, “When we were at the Prime Minister’s residence, our son was just so taken by everything and then taken by the entire cart of mangoes that was available for him to eat that he announced to the Prime Minister that he thought he could maybe live there.”
She underscored that the Vance kids constantly revisit those memories in their usual conversations. “They’ve been all over the place and had wonderful opportunities to see the world, but this was really special to them,” the second lady added with a smile on her face.