Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in the USA to hold high-stakes talks with President Donald Trump in the face of concerns in Delhi over Washington’s new “America First” trade agenda as well as its approach on immigration. The prime minister will be hosted by the US President on Thursday in what would be the first bilateral talks between the two leaders since Trump assumed the presidency for a second term last month.
In his first high-level meeting after reaching the US, PM Modi met with Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and engaged in in-depth discussions on strengthening bilateral ties, PTI reported. The talks focused on bolstering intelligence collaboration, particularly in counter-terrorism, cybersecurity and emerging global threats. Modi also took the opportunity to congratulate Gabbard on her confirmation as the country’s top intelligence official.
Meanwhile, PM Modi received an enthusiastic welcome from the Indian diaspora outside Blair House, his official residence during his two-day US visit. Braving the cold, supporters gathered to greet the Prime Minister.
Sharing pictures of the moment on X, PM Modi expressed his appreciation, writing, “A warm reception in the winter chill! Despite the cold weather, the Indian diaspora in Washington DC has welcomed me with a very special welcome. My gratitude to them.”
With Trump’s tariff policy sending shockwaves across the world, Modi’s key priority is likely to be to pre-empt any punitive trade action by Washington against India. People closely tracking India-US ties said there is a possibility of both sides exploring the option of looking at a trade pact to avoid high tariffs and expand the overall trade basket.
In their meeting, the two leaders are likely to focus on ramping up India-US cooperation in sectors like trade, investment, energy, defence, technology and immigration. Apart from some possible sector-specific outcomes, it will be interesting to see the optics and what kind of broader signal the meeting between Modi and Trump, known for their personal bonhomie, generates.
Modi arrived right after his visit to France where he had co-chaired the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit with French President Emmanuel Macron. He is the fourth foreign leader hosted by Trump over the weeks since his inauguration. Within less than a month of the start of his second term in the White House, Trump has hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, and Jordan’s King Abdullah II.
(With inputs from PTI)