Reported India lobbyist Jason Miller meets Trump amidst tariff tension

Political lobbyist Jason Miller, whose firm has been engaged by India, recently met US President Donald Trump and several members of his administration, as tensions continue to simmer between New Delhi and Washington over trade and tariff policies.

Miller is head of SHW Partners LLC, a lobbying firm hired by the Indian embassy in April for a reported sum of USD 1.8 million for a one-year contract.

Although Miller did not specify the purpose of his meetings with Trump and other officials, he shared several photographs on social media, including one with the president.

“Fantastic week in Washington with so many friends being in town, topped off of course by having the opportunity to stop in and see our President in-action! Keep up the great work, @POTUS @realDonaldTrump!,” he wrote.

Relations between the United States and India have taken a downturn in recent weeks after Trump imposed additional tariffs on Indian goods, effectively doubling the rate to 50 per cent. Half of that is a 25 per cent duty in response to India’s ongoing purchases of Russian crude oil — a move New Delhi has strongly criticised as “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable.”

Despite the escalating tensions, efforts to ease the strain appear to be underway. On Friday, Trump described the India–US relationship as “special” and reaffirmed his personal rapport with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“I will always be friends with Modi, he is a great prime minister, he's great. I'll always be friends but I just don’t like what he's doing at this particular moment,” Trump said during a press conference. “But India and the United States have a special relationship. There is nothing to worry about,” he added.

PM Modi responded positively to Trump’s remarks, though he chose to respond to an ANI post about those remarks rather than directly to Trump himself. “Deeply appreciate and fully reciprocate President Trump's sentiments and positive assessment of our ties,” Modi posted on social media platform X. “India and the US have a very positive and forward-looking Comprehensive and Global Strategic Partnership,” he added.

With agency inputs