New Delhi/Washington: US President Donald Trump will get a red carpet welcome in Gujarat later this month — on a grander scale than the event organized for Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Houston last year.
Sources said the government is organizing ‘Kem Chho, Trump’, the Gujarati equivalent of Texas event ‘Howdy Modi’ in Prime Minister’s home state for President Trump and the First Lady, Melania Trump.
PM Modi hinted at the preparations for Trump’s two-day visit on February 24: “Extremely delighted that POTUS Donald Trump and First Lady will visit India on 24th and 25th February. This visit is a very special one and it will go a long way in further cementing India-US friendship.”
Sources said Trump and Modi will do a roadshow from the Ahmedabad airport and visit Sabarmati Ashram to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. Later, President Trump will inaugurate Ahmedabad’s newly-constructed Sardar Patel Stadium with a seating capacity of over 100,000 people. The welcome ‘Kem Chho, Trump’ to the US President will be accorded at the stadium.
Well ahead of his first visit to India, US President Donald Trump said that he is willing to sign a trade deal with India if it is the right one.
Speaking to the media at his Oval office on Tuesday, Trump said: “I am looking forward to the first visit to India this month. They (Indians) want to do something and we’ll see… if we can make the right deal, (we) will do it.”
IANS reports that after signing a trade deal with China, the US is likely to finalize a trade agreement and a defense deal with India during the visit of President Trump this month.
IANS quoting sources said the Modi government is in the process of approving the purchase of 24 MH-60R Seahawk helicopters from the American defense firm Lockheed Martin for $2.6 billion, ahead of Trump’s visit.
The US and Indian officials are also working on a limited trade deal which will address some of Trump’s complaints against India’s high tariffs on US imported goods, sources said. The US is India’s second biggest trade partner.
The bilateral agreements are aimed at strengthening the US-India strategic partnership and the personal rapport between President Trump and Prime Minister Modi in Houston last year has further fortified the relationship, sources said.
