Trump names PM Modi, Xi as world's two strongest leaders, praises India's growth

US President Donald Trump has named Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping among the world's strongest leaders, saying both stand out for their power, leverage and ability to execute.

Trump made the remarks in an interview with Axios on "The Axios Show", shortly after returning from a G7 summit in France that he described as "very dominant".

The interviewer said, "If I ask you who the two greatest leaders you like the most on the world stage are, I'll assume one of them is Xi."

Trump replied, "Yeah, I think in terms of leadership, I think that's true." He described Xi as "all business".

When asked, "Who's the other? When you think of power and leverage and the ability to execute on that?"

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Trump added, "Well, I think Modi is very good. Yeah. They've had some very good numbers announced."

He further said, "He stays out of wars, which is smart. He's 1.5 billion people. He's actually the biggest. India's actually the biggest. And Modi's a great leader."

“All my life I’ve watched India. They just kept changing, changing, changing. Somebody would be there for six months and then a year and then all of a sudden, Prime Minister Modi ends up there," Trump said.

“He has been there for more than 12 years, very solid. And he does it through, like, there’s a great calmness, and yet he’s not a calm person. He’s a very tough guy. I know him very well," he said.

Trump also said the US does a lot of business with India, which earlier used to "rip us off".

He further added, "Modi in a very different way. Just highly respected. I know the real Modi is a very tough cookie. I'll tell you, I got to know some that I didn't know very well."

The 80-year-old declined to identify any leaders he considers the weakest.

Trump's latest remarks follow his recent meeting with PM Modi on the sidelines of the G7 summit, where he highlighted his personal equation with the Indian leader. Responding to a question on whether India could assume a bigger role in West Asia, Trump said he would support India if it came under attack and tied that commitment to Modi's leadership.

"If anybody attacks that man, we're going to be there now," Trump said, referring to PM Modi. "I think India plays a big role in everything. As long as he's the leader."

An upcoming book examines Trump's views on power

During the interview, Trump said he had discovered "no limits" to his power since the confrontation with Iran. A forthcoming book suggests he has contemplated an even larger claim about his place in history.

In the soon-to-be-released book Regime Change by New York Times journalists Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, Trump is reported to have reviewed a document comparing his power favourably with historical figures including Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan, Napoleon, Stalin, Mao and Hitler.

According to the authors, Trump read through the document, naming each figure and explaining why they fell short compared with his position as US president. He reportedly noted that earlier leaders lacked modern advantages such as aeroplanes.

The book says Trump appeared to take evident pleasure in the company of Mao, Hitler and Stalin and readily placed himself among leaders who reshaped the world through conquest and fear.