The father-of-all deals
February 2, 2026, was a red-letter day in the swiftly moving tides and currents of world history. The monumental maverick President of the United States, Donald Trump, triumphantly announced a “trade deal” with India. Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, “It was an honour to speak with Prime Minister Modi of India this morning. He is one of my greatest friends and a powerful and respected leader of his country… Out of friendship and respect for Prime Minister Modi and, as per his request, effective immediately, we agreed to a Trade Deal between the United States and India, whereby the United States will charge a reduced Reciprocal Tariff, lowering it from 25 per cent to 18 per cent. They will likewise move forward to reduce their Tariffs and Non-Tariff Barriers against the United States to ZERO. Our amazing relationship with India will be even stronger going forward. Prime Minister Modi and I are two people who GET THINGS DONE, something that cannot be said for most…”
An ecstatic Modi effusively hailed Trump, tweeting, “Wonderful to speak with my dear friend President Trump today. Delighted that Made in India products will now have a reduced tariff of 18 per cent. Big thanks to President Trump on behalf of the 1.4 billion people of India for this wonderful announcement. When two large economies and the world’s largest democracies work together, it benefits our people and unlocks immense opportunities for mutually beneficial co-operation. President Trump’s leadership is vital for global peace, stability, and prosperity. India fully supports his efforts for peace. I look forward to working closely with him to take our partnership to unprecedented heights.”
In his 97-minute address in reply to the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address in the Rajya Sabha on February 5 2026, Modi said in his deep, resonant voice that the EU deal gave the world confidence in global stability and the US deal reinforced the sense of momentum, both serving as positive signals that the world was opening up to India and viewing India as a great prospect for the global economy. It would indeed be remiss on our part to ignore the truly stellar role played by the newly appointed US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, in masterfully catalysing this deal. He has proved to be the epitome of stronger Indo-US bilateral ties and a God-sent envoy in the right place at the right time. Significantly, on January 12, 2026, Gor, in his arrival speech in New Delhi, had said with a typical Galbraithian fervour, “I was with the President last week, and he recounted his incredible experience visiting India, and also his great friendship with the great Prime Minister of India, Prime Minister Modi… I spoke with President Trump just yesterday, and I bring his warm wishes to all the people of India, especially his dear friend, the incredible Prime Minister, His Excellency Prime Minister Modi… I can attest that his friendship with Prime Minister Modi is real. The United States and India are bound not just by shared interests, but by a relationship anchored at the highest levels. Real friends can disagree but always resolve their differences in the end… I thank the people of India for a very warm welcome. You are a resilient people. You are innovative. You are spiritual. I look forward to meeting many of you as I travel across this incredible nation… No partner is more essential than India… In the months and years ahead, it is my goal as Ambassador to pursue a very ambitious agenda. We will do this as true strategic partners, each bringing strength, respect, and leadership to the table. Thank you and may God bless the enduring friendship between our two nations.”
The wrapping up of the much-awaited Indo-US trade deal, which has aptly earned the sobriquet ‘the father of all deals’, coming close on the heels of the signing of the India-EU Free Trade Agreement, proudly described by the European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, as the “mother of all deals”, is a historic watershed milestone in Indo-US relations. It has publicly affirmed the intense solidarity between the India and the US and the close economic relationship between the two great democracies. The pivotal deal was much needed to restore headway at a time when global conflicts are intensifying and protectionism is once again on the ascendant. The deal is a perfect alignment of what we both need and what we both believe in.
The deal has received widespread support and acclaim in India and has been publicly praised internationally. At the same time, it has completely silenced, nay rudely shaken, the malicious detractors, antagonists and critics of Trump in India, including certain misguided political parties, prominent national TV channels and self professed political and economic pundits unabashedly professing the tacit support of powerful corporate lobbies in India.
I reiterate my deep and personal commitment to the very special relationship between our two countries-a bond that has endured for generations and across party lines and that is essential to the security and prosperity of our two countries and the world. And I avow my faith, sure and inalienable, that in the days to come Indian and American people will, for their own sake and to ensure “peace on earth and good will to all men”, forge an unwritten alliance, far closer in fact than many which exist in writing.
Anoop Bose BRIEF NOTE ON THE AUTHOR, the author is an internationally reputed senior lawyer practising in the Supreme Court of India and various High Courts and Tribunals in India.
