FLINT, Michigan – Former US president Donald Trump said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi plans to meet him next week – the latest visit from a foreign leader or official as nations grapple with the possibility of the Republican returning to power after November’s election.
“He happens to be coming to meet me next week, and Modi, he’s fantastic,” the Republican presidential nominee said on Sept 17 during a town hall in Flint, Michigan, as he revealed the visit during a winding answer that touched on free trade and protecting US jobs.
The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request seeking details about the meeting.
Mr Modi will be in the US this weekend, where he is slated to attend the Quad Leaders’ Summit in Wilmington, Delaware, that is being hosted by US President Joe Biden.
On Sept 23, Mr Modi is expected to address the Summit of the Future at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Trump has met other world leaders in 2024, including Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who visited the former president at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida in March and Polish President Andrzej Duda at the Trump Tower in New York in April.
As president, Trump travelled to India in 2020, a trip that saw Mr Modi roll out the red carpet to court the Republican, who is fond of large crowd sizes, including with an event at a cricket stadium where he was greeted by more than 100,000 people.
Under Mr Biden, the US has pledged to work with India on technology such as artificial intelligence and committed to the co-production of sensitive defence technologies.
Mr Biden has sought to strengthen ties with Asian nations to better counter China’s growing military and economic influence in the Asia-Pacific region. The President also hosted Mr Modi for a state dinner in 2023.
But US-India ties under Mr Biden have been frustrated in part by New Delhi’s reluctance to broker an end to Russia’s war on Ukraine.
India is reliant on Russia for military weapons and cheap oil, and has refrained from condemning Russian President Vladimir Putin for his invasion.
Mr Modi visited Kyiv in August for the first time since the war began, and has advocated for diplomacy and dialogue to end the conflict. BLOOMBERG
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