Republican candidate praises Indian leader while labelling New Delhi a ‘very big abuser’ in trade.

Former United States President Donald Trump will meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the US next week, the Republican presidential nominee has said.

Speaking at his first campaign event since a second apparent assassination attempt on Sunday, Trump described Modi as “fantastic” while labelling India a “very big abuser” in trade.

“He’s fantastic. I mean, fantastic, man. A lot of these leaders are fantastic,” Trump told supporters at a town hall in Flint, Michigan on Tuesday.

“A lot of these leaders are fantastic … They’re not a little bit backward. You know the expression, they’re at the top of their game and they use it against us. But India is very tough, Brazil is very tough. I can tell you, every one.”

Trump, who is in a tight race for the White House with Vice President and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, did not provide further details about the meeting.

Modi is visiting the US from Saturday to attend a Quad group (Australia, India, Japan, and the US) leaders summit hosted by US President Joe Biden.

Modi is also scheduled to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York and meet with members of the Indian-American community.

Trump and Modi were seen to enjoy a close relationship during the real estate tycoon-turned-politician’s first term as president.

During Trump’s 2020 visit to India, Modi organised a 125,000-strong rally at the world’s biggest cricket stadium to welcome the then-US president.