Donald Trump calls PM Modi 'a fantastic man', says he will meet him next week

Former US president and Republican candidate Donald Trump in one of his recent rallies said that he will be meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi next week during the latter's visit to the US from Sep 21-23.

Trump made the announcement during a campaign event in Flint, Michigan, on Sep 17 while he was speaking about US trade with India. He announced the meeting but gave no details on where they would meet. The meeting between the two leaders had not been previously reported.

While Trump praised PM Modi, he also said that India is a "very big abuser" of trade ties referring to its heavy tariffs on imports.

"So when India, which is a very big abuser. He (Modi) happens to be coming to meet me next week, and Modi, he's fantastic. I mean, fantastic man. A lot of these leaders are fantastic," Trump said.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has shared a detailed itinerary of Modi's US visit. The visit will begin with the fourth Quad Leaders' Summit hosted by US President Joe Biden in his hometown Wilmington, Delaware.

PM Modi will then travel to New York to address a gathering of the Indian community in Long Island on Sep 22.

He will subsequently address the 'Summit of the Future' at the United Nations General Assembly on Sep 23. The theme of the Summit is 'Multilateral Solutions for a Better Tomorrow'.

The Prime Minister will also interact 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, the foreign ministry said.

PM Modi is also expected to meet thought leaders and other stakeholders in the India-US bilateral landscape.

Both the leaders last met in February 2020, when the then-US President visited India. Trump and Modi have been known to share a strong personal rapport. Their ‘friendship’ was evident during Trump's presidency (2017-2021) with events like the "Howdy Modi" rally in Houston and “Namaste Trump” in India.

The relationship has helped bolster US-India ties in various sectors including defense and strategic cooperation.

Although the two nations have had some trade disputes, the common goal of countering China's growing influence has kept the partnership solid, especially through initiatives like the “Quad”.