Indian officials have zeroed in on two of Trump’s top priorities — the economy and immigration — hoping to make small concessions that yield big dividends.

Mr Trump and Mr Modi enjoyed warm relations in the US president’s first term, but during his campaign for re-election Mr Trump called India a “very big abuser” on trade and vowed to use tariffs on global imports into the US to correct imbalances.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Donald Trump spoke in a phone call on Monday, Modi said in a post on X, the first conversation between the two leaders since Trump's inauguration last week.

US President Donald Trump has said India "will do what's right" on the deportation of illegal migrants following a phone call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The leaders spoke on Monday, their first conversation since Trump's inauguration last week.

Following a call between President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is seeking to boost bilateral ties and trade with U.S. amid an already friendly relationship between the two leaders.

By Ira Dugal This was originally published in the India File newsletter, which is issued every Tuesday. Sign up here to get latest news from India and how it matters to the world. Investors in India are on edge ahead of the annual federal budget scheduled for release on Saturday.

PM Modi will visit the White House in February, as Trump emphasizes US-India ties, discussing trade, defence, and immigration in a recent call.