United States Vice President JD Vance, who is on a two-day India tour with his family, today addressed a gathering in Rajasthan’s Jaipur where he not only praised the Narendra Modi government but also said that the days of the US preaching India is over. He said that the Trump administration wants India to grow.
“We are not here to preach a few things to India in any particular way. Too often in the past, Washington approached Prime Minister Modi with an attitude of preachiness and even one of condescension. Prior administrations saw India as a source of low-cost labour on the one end, even as they criticised the Prime Minister’s government, arguably the most popular in the democratic world. I told Prime Minister Modi last night, he has got approval ratings that would make me jealous,” said Vance.
We are not here to preach..Too often in the past Washington approached PM Modi with attitude of preachiness says US Vice President Vance in Jaipur pic.twitter.com/fmS0qeBACg
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) April 22, 2025
The Vice President further said that the United States focus is on a free and open Indo-Pacific in full alignment with that of India’s vision. He said that the future of 21st century will be determined by strength of India and the US and added that President Trump seeks to rebalance global trade so that the US, with friends like India, can build a better future. “We want to make a bright new world,” he said.
Reacting to US President Donald Trump’s trade policy, Vance said, “Trade relations must be based on fairness.” He further said that both India and US are working towards a bilateral trade agreement based on shared priorities. “US wants greater access to Indian markets,” he said.
Talking about the tariff and trade negotiations, Vance said, “President Trump and I know that PM Modi is a tough negotiator. It’s why we respect him. We don’t blame Prime Minister Narendra Modi for fighting for India’s industry but we do blame American leaders of the past for failing to do the same for our workers and we believe that we can fix that to the mutual benefits of both India and the United States.”
Talking about the trade relations between the two nations, Vance said, “In defence, our countries enjoy a close relationship; we can build many military platforms…We welcome India’s announcement on amending nuclear liability laws.”
“I believe that our nations have much to offer to one another, and that’s why we come to you as partner…I believe there is much that the US and India can accomplish together,” said the US Vice President.