From Howdy Modi to Namaste Trump
From #HowdyModi to #NamasteTrump.
After last years USA visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he delivered on his promised spectacle to welcome President Donald Trump, who kicked off his 36-hour trip to India on Monday with a colorful road tour that culminated in a rally that drew tens of thousands to the world’s largest cricket stadium.
More than 100,000 people poured into the brand new stadium for “Namaste Trump,” an event designed to reciprocate last fall’s Texas “Howdy Modi” rally that drew 50,000 Indian Americans to greet the prime minister. The president and first lady Melania Trump are to be feted in a whirlwind, two-day diplomatic display aimed at highlighting U.S.-Indian relations amid escalating trade frictions between the two countries.
Trump praised Modi for the “stunning display of India’s culture and kindness,” noting that he traveled 8,000 miles with the first lady to deliver a message to the people of India. Follow Spo.tlife Asia for the latest updates
“America loves India, America respects India and America will always be faithful and loyal to the Indian people,” he said as the crowd erupted in cheers.
Ever since Bill Clinton visited 20 years ago, India-US relations have warmed politically, economically and strategically. But niggling differences remain, particularly over trade.
India is the world’s fifth largest economy, according to the International Monetary Fund, ahead of Britain and France, and will become the planet’s most populous country by 2027, the UN projects.
US-India trade volumes ballooned to more than $140 billion in 2018 from $19 billion in 2000, according to the US government, although volumes exchanged with China are more than five times larger.
The Indian diaspora in the US is estimated at four million and they are major contributors in Silicon Valley in particular. The chief executives of Microsoft and Google were both born in India.
During Trump’s visit, India may agree to the sale of five nuclear reactors, the fruit of a landmark but contentious atomic deal signed under then leaders George W. Bush and Manmohan Singh in the 2000s.
Trump, whose foreign visits typically are light on sightseeing, told reporters traveling with him that the stadium event was “fantastic.” He said he looked forward to his first visit to the Taj Mahal, the immense white marble 17th century mausoleum on the bank of a river in the city of Agra.
The president will conclude his whirlwind visit to India on Tuesday in the capital, including meetings with Modi over stalled trade talks and a gala dinner. The two nations are closely allied, in part to act as a bulwark against the rising influence of China.
