US Senator Heaps Praises On India, Says He’d Buy India If Nations Were Stocks

Last Updated:June 30, 2026, 13:18 IST

A US Senator, Steve Daines, praised India during the summit of US-India Strategic Partnership Forum in Washington DC. He said if nations were stocks, he would bet on India.

A United States (US) Senator, Steve Daines, has heaped praises on India saying if countries were listed like stocks on exchanges, he would be betting on India, according to a report by the NDTV. The Senator, from Donald Trump’s Republican party, also said that India is rising among major economies and that its ties with the US are very important.

Daines is the head of the campaign arm of the Republican party for Senate elections. Which means he heads that team of President Trump’s party which is responsible for recruiting candidates, fundraising, and planning the strategies for victory. This makes him important in US politics and close to the Republican party’s leadership.

“If countries were a stock, I’d be buying India right now," Daines said, as quoted by NDTV. He justified his praises by highlighting India’s rapid economic growth.

“You look at the top 20 economies in the world as relates to GDP. India’s ranked fifth, on its way to fourth in the world," he said.

India had surpassed the United Kingdom (UK) to become the fifth largest economy of the world in 2021. Japan is currently the fourth largest economy in the world, but it faces economic headwinds like ageing population and debt trap in addition to other woes that all economies of the world are facing now.

“But of the top 20 countries in the world ranked by GDP, India has the largest growth rate in its GDP, not only for this year but also projected for next year. So, India’s on the rise," Daines added.

The relationship between India and the US is at its strongest point, according to Daines, who recently won the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum’s 2026 Public Service Award. Interestingly, a Member of the US House of Representatives from the Democratic party, which currently holds opposition ranks in all federal level institutions of that country, said that the relationship between the two nations is at its lowest it has been in three decades.

Both made these comments at the same summit at different points. Currently US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) summit is being held in Washington DC.

“The US-India relationship has been at the lowest point in the last 30 years. Trump’s policies of getting into a war in Iran has been utterly destructive. It has been utterly destructive to the prices in India of gas. Talk to Jaishankar if you don’t believe me," the Democratic lawmaker, Ro Khanna, who is also of Indian origin, said, as quoted by ANI.

Speaking about the US-India relationship, the Republican Senator said, “we’ve got a lot of momentum. India is the largest democracy in the world. They’re such a trusted partner of the United States. Trust is such an important part of a relationship."

US President Donald Trump is committed to strengthening ties with India, Daines said. Last year, Trump imposed 50 percent punitive tariffs on India. “Economists say the tariffs could erase up to one percentage point from India’s GDP growth this (2025) fiscal year," a report in The Guardian noted last year after the tariffs were imposed.

The tariffs have, since their peak last year, come down to 18 percent on most products. Though, it is still comparable to the tariffs on other manufacturing countries in Asia which are more competitive in terms of price of similar export products.

“You’re seeing more and more investments of US companies in India," the Senator added.

“Many of our largest tech companies have reaped the blessings of American freedom while building their factories in China, hiring workers in India and slashing profits in Ireland. All the while dismissing and even censoring their fellow citizens right here at home. Under President Trump, those days are over," the US President had said in July last year, according to media reports from that time.

“We need each other. We need more Indian students in America. We need more workers who come with skill sets that we need here in our country. One of the most important forms of capital is human capital," the Republican Senator said today.

Meanwhile, Trump administration has introduced measures that have made it difficult for Indian students to get student visas and H1B work permits. Like removing the Optional Practical Training for foreign students (this was a key pathway for work after graduation) and introducing a $100,000 application fees for H1B visas. Indian students and professionals were the largest beneficiaries of these programmes, besides Chinese.

Senator Daines condemned hate crimes against Indian Americans, when asked about such attacks.

“Hate in any kind of form needs to be confronted no matter who it’s against," he was quoted saying. He also said that most Indian Americans “feel very safe here".

In April this year, Axios published a report which analysed the change in hate crimes against different racial and ethnic groups in the US, using data from FBI records. They found hate against Asians increased 195 percent between 2015 and 2025.

“President Trump is working to strengthen the relationship between… Prime Minister Modi… and just the Indian people," Senator Daines said.

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