Trade between India and the US “is a totally one-sided disaster”, President Donald Trump said at the start of the week. By weekend, he was calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi a “great PM”, vowing that the two leaders would “always” remain friends.

On Friday, Trump shared a picture of PM Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin, claiming that the US had “lost India and Russia” to China. Hours later, he backtracked on the remark, claiming he doesn’t think India was lost.

Amid heightened trade tensions over the sweeping 50% tariffs on Indian imports, the past few days saw Donald Trump flipping his narrative on India multiple times.

A look at all that he said over the past week:

September 1: “…they (India) sell us massive amounts of goods, their biggest ‘client’, but we sell them very little…a totally one sided relationship, and it has been for many decades”.

“The reason is that India has charged us, until now, such high tariffs…that our businesses are unable to sell into India. It has been a totally one-sided disaster!”

September 2: A day later, Trump recycled Harley Davidson argument as he justified the slapping of 50% duties on Indian imports.

“I’ll give you an example — Harley Davidson. They could not sell in India as there was a 200 per cent tariff on a motorcycle.” During the same Oval Office address that day, Trump had said that India and the US got along very well, all the while defending his tariff move.

“We get along with India very well, but for many years it was a one-sided relationship… India was charging us tremendous tariffs, the highest in the world,” Trump said.

September 3: A day later, Trump ruled out any reduction in the 50% tariff regime imposed on New Delhi with this remark: “Would you say that putting secondary sanctions on India… That cost hundreds of billions of dollars to Russia. You call that no action? And I haven’t done phase two yet or phase three”.

September 5: Donald Trump’s one of the biggest remarks amid tariffs tensions with India came on Friday, with his post on Truth Social. He posted a picture of PM Modi, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, with the caption: “Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China. May they have a long and prosperous future together!”

September 6: Hours after his earlier remark, Trump seemed to change his tune on the matter, saying “I don’t think we have” when asked by a reporter who he thinks was to blame for losing India to China. “I always will, I will always be friends with Modi, he is a great Prime Minister, he is great… I just don’t like what he is doing at this particular moment, but India and the United States have a special relationship. There is nothing to worry about,” Trump said.

Trump’s positive remarks towards India were reciprocated by PM Modi with an X post later. “Deeply appreciate and fully reciprocate President Trump’s sentiments and positive assessment of our ties,” Modi wrote, adding: “India and the US have a very positive and forward-looking Comprehensive and Global Strategic Partnership.”