‘I love India… big fan of PM Modi’: Trump’s message at US 250th Independence Day celebration in Delhi

New Delhi: US President Donald Trump on Sunday expressed strong admiration for India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a live interaction at the 250th anniversary celebration of US Independence held at the US Embassy in the national capital, calling the Indian leader a “friend” and reaffirming close bilateral ties.

U.S. Ambassador Sergio Gor, as well as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, were present at the memorial event, where Trump addressed attendees virtually.

Speaking during the interaction, Trump said, “I love India. You (Ambassador Gor) must give a good speech as a representative of our country. I just want to say hello to everyone. I love the Prime Minister. Prime Minister Modi is great; he is my friend.”

He further added that New Delhi can rely “100%” on the United States, while showing admiration for Prime Minister Modi.

“India can count on me 100 percent. They’re calling me here. We’re doing well. We’re setting records. We have a record economy, a record stock market and everything that India wants to get. I’m a big, big fan of Prime Minister Modi,” Trump said at the event virtually.

Praising US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump said: “Marco is the greatest. He is becoming the greatest Secretary of State in our nation’s history. »

The event is organized to commemorate the 250th Independence Day of the United States, bringing together diplomatic and cultural elements with the participation of Indian and American representatives. The United States gained its independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776.

The event also saw a stirring performance by Oscar-winning composer and music maestro AR Rahman, with his iconic anthem ‘Jai Ho’ becoming the highlight of the evening.

Foreign Minister S Jaishankar was also present at the event.

Speaking at the event, Gor highlighted strengthening India-US relations, describing the partnership as entering a “new era of shared success”.

He further recalled the close personal relationship between Trump and Prime Minister Modi, saying, “Whenever the President (Trump) and I speak, one of the first questions the President will ask is: ‘How is my friend, Prime Minister (Modi)?’ And this is something that is important to convey because this relationship is not new. »

He stressed that Washington’s foreign policy approach was not isolationist, saying: “America first does not mean America alone.” And every week, we identify opportunities that constitute win-win situations for our two nations. »

Gor further said that US-India bonds provide the “foundation of a new era”, pointing out that the US Embassy in New Delhi ranked first in the world in attracting $20.5 billion in new investments to the United States.

The US ambassador to India stressed that commercial diplomacy between the two countries has reached a “record high”.

“This bond is the foundation of a new era. We are actively fulfilling the promise of our cooperation and building a future of tangible achievements,” he said.

He noted that since his arrival in New Delhi five months ago, an interim trade agreement framework has been announced and is expected to be signed in the coming weeks.

“Since I arrived in New Delhi just five months ago, we have announced an interim trade agreement which will hopefully be signed in the coming weeks,” he said.

The ambassador added that India was invited, accepted and joined Pax Silica and also highlighted the role of the embassy in promoting investments.

“I am particularly proud that each embassy is competing to attract investment in the United States. And our embassy in India came in first in the world with $20.5 billion in new investment in the United States,” he said.

Looking ahead, he said the focus was on shared success, driven by the dynamics of the bilateral partnership.

“Tonight is not just about celebrating history. It’s about envisioning a new era of shared success, driven by the extraordinary momentum of the US-India partnership,” Gor said, adding that since arriving in India, he has worked to get Washington’s top decision-makers to recognize the importance of the relationship.

“Since arriving here, I have had the honor of advocating for our shared future, ensuring that the highest decision-makers in Washington recognize the relationship between the United States and India,” he said.

The remarks came as part of Rubio’s four-day visit to India, during which he will attend the quadrilateral meeting of foreign ministers in the national capital.

India is gearing up to host the security dialogue in the national capital to deliberate on the evolving security matrix of the Indo-Pacific region and growing friction points in West Asia. The high-level gathering of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, bringing together India, the United States, Australia and Japan, will be held on May 26 under the chairmanship of EAM Jaishankar.