MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
India's prime minister, Narendra Modi, will meet with President Trump here in Washington, D.C. today.
LEILA FADEL, HOST:
In Trump's first term, the two men seemed to have a natural camaraderie. But these days, Trump is focused a lot on trade and immigration - two issues that could put a dent in the longstanding relationship between the U.S. and India.
MARTIN: Joining us now to talk more about this is NPR White House correspondent Asma Khalid. Asma, good morning.
ASMA KHALID, BYLINE: Good morning.
MARTIN: So let's start with trade. We've heard a lot in recent days about tariffs. How does India factor into that?
KHALID: Well, the president has been talking a lot about reciprocal tariffs. And, Michel, that's the idea that if a foreign country charges, say, a 20%-tariff on U.S. imports, then the U.S. ought to slap a 20%-tariff back on them. Trump was actually talking about this idea even months ago during his campaign last fall. He accused India of being a, quote, "big abuser of tariffs." Take a listen.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: The biggest charger of all is India. India is a very big charger. We have a great relationship with India - I did, and with especially the leader, Modi.
KHALID: And so as you notice there, despite the accusations he's making about India on trade, you know, Trump has a really fond relationship with India's leader. He had a very warm, personal relationship with him, and Modi quite literally and famously gave Trump a bear hug when the two first met at the White House. And you know, they're known to have similar, populist styles. They went on to host these joint mega rallies together, first in Texas and then later in India, with tens of thousands of supporters.
MARTIN: So if India has high tariffs on U.S. imports and Trump, as you say, as he certainly says repeatedly, wants more fair - what he considers more fair trading relationships, what is the room for negotiation there?
KHALID: Well, trade is certainly the No. 1 priority for the Trump administration in this relationship. The U.S. is in a trade deficit with India. Ahead of this visit, India announced that it was lowering tariffs on motorbikes, and that opens the door for more exports of Harley Davidsons, which is something that has been important to President Trump.
Lisa Curtis was in Trump's National Security Council during his first term. She told me that Prime Minister Modi understands Trump, and he's also offering to increase imports of American oil and gas to avoid a broader fight over trade issues. But she also knows from experience that India is a tough negotiator.
LISA CURTIS: I think there's a greater risk that a failed trade negotiation this time around could really sour the overall U.S.-India relationship. I think the expectations of the Trump team of India are higher.
MARTIN: So, Asma, before we let you go, are there other issues that you expect these two leaders to discuss?
KHALID: Certainly immigration. Illegal immigration is a big priority for Trump, and according to estimates from the Pew Research Center, the third largest group of people in the United States without legal status are actually Indians. Earlier this month, the Trump administration flew a group of Indians back to India on a military plane, and it caused some domestic political backlash for Modi.
But I would say it's not just illegal immigration. I mean, India is very concerned about maintaining pathways to legal immigration, especially work visas. So I do expect immigration and trade, of course, to be major issues because these are major fixations for President Trump.
But other issues, I would say, Michel, that are likely to come up are technology and defense cooperation. India has had a very strong bipartisan relationship and bipartisan support over the last several administrations, Republican or Democrat. And we've seen that, especially as the United States has worked to counter China's influence in the region.
MARTIN: That is NPR's Asma Khalid. Asma, thank you.
KHALID: Nice to speak with you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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