Michigan: Former US President Donald Trump said he will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi next week during the latter's visit to America. The announcement came as Trump was speaking on the India-US trade relationship in Flint, Michigan, with less than 50 days remaining for the US presidential elections in November, where the Republican candidate faces Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, who is of Indian heritage.
However, Trump gave no details on where the two leaders would meet. "He happens to be coming to meet me next week. And Modi, he's fantastic," Trump said. Donald Trump and Narendra Modi shared warm relations during Trump's presidency from 2017 to 2021 with events like "Howdy Modi" in Houston and "Namaste Trump" in Gujarat.
Their relationship provided a major boost to US-India ties, especially in defence and strategic cooperation, as both leaders turned their focus on countering China's growing influence. Despite occasional trade disputes, their partnership remained solid, fostering deeper security collaboration through initiatives like the “Quad”. PM Modi has also enjoyed good relations with Democratic presidents like Barack Obama and current President Joe Biden. The White House rolled out the red carpet for him last year, touting deals on defence and commerce.
"And Modi he is fantastic. I mean, fantastic man. These are a lot of these leaders are fantastic. You have to understand one thing. They're dealing, there are 100%. These people are the sharpest people. They're not a little bit backward. They are at the top. You know the expression? They're at the top of their game and they use it against us. But India's very tough," he said.
PM Modi's visit to the US
Prime Minister Modi will be visiting the US from September 21 to 23, announced the Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday, where he will take part in the Quad Leaders' Summit in US President Joe Biden's hometown of Delaware on Saturday. India has agreed to host the next Quad Summit in 2025, further said the MEA.
After attending the Quad Summit with US President Joe Biden and counterparts from Australia and Japan in Delaware on September 21, PM Modi will address a mega community event 'Modi and US, Progress Together' on September 22 at the 16,000-seater Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Long Island. Over 25,000 people have applied for tickets to the diaspora event, according to organisers. The Prime Minister would also be interacting with the CEOs of leading US-based companies to foster greater collaborations between the two countries in the cutting-edge areas of AI, quantum computing, semiconductors and biotechnology. He is also expected to interact with thought leaders and other stakeholders active in the India-US bilateral landscape.
He will address the UN Summit of the Future on September 23, but will not address the high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly, according to the latest dates released by the United Nations. This came after a revised list published by the UN earlier this month confirmed Modi's absence from the UNGA session.
Earlier in July, a provisional list of speakers for the General Debate of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) issued by the UN had mentioned PM Modi’s name among those who would address the high-level debate on September 26, however, according to a revised provisional list of speakers issued on Friday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is now expected to address the General Debate on September 28.
ALSO READ | PM Modi to visit US this week, QUAD Summit, UN 'Summit of the Future', Indian diaspora event on top agenda
