A warm welcome complete with firm handshakes and broad smiles greeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi as US President Donald J Trump and First Lady Melania Trump walked him into the White House in Washington DC on their first encounter on Monday.
PM Modi, who invited the Trump family to visit India, later topped his invitation with a hug at the end of their Press statements. And then, there was a second hug before PM Modi left the White House. “There was visible chemistry between the two leaders,” Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar later said.Modi also invited Ivanka Trump specially to India.
Through their two meetings, there was a clear attempt by both leaders to develop a warm relationship that focussed on the convergence of interests rather than magnify differences over immigration and the Paris climate pact.
As the two leaders sat down for their meeting at the Oval Office, President Trump, who had described PM Modi as a “true friend” on Twitter, noted that PM Modi had been such a great prime minister. “Economically, India is doing very well,” the President said, congratulating PM Modi for the “great job” that he was doing back home.
PM Modi expressed gratitude to President Trump and the First Lady for the warm welcome extended to him. The welcome extended to him was a welcome to 125 crore people of India, he said.
PM Modi also recalled how President Trump had back in 2014, long before he joined the presidential race, had spoken well of him in a media interview. “I still remember them,” he said, turning to President Trump in front of the cameras.
“When he was asked about me, he said was full of very warm remarks and observations about me,” PM Modi said, referring to real estate tycoon’s India visit to Mumbai and Pune when he was reported to have described PM Modi’s performance as amazing.
