Amid the media blitz for the US Presidential election, Donald Trump spoke on the Flagrant Podcast, hosted by Andrew Schulz and Akaash Singh, where he shared his views on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Speaking in a segment about Modi, Trump said: “Modi… India, he’s a friend of mine, he’s great. Before him, they were replacing them every year, very unstable. On the outside, he looks like your father, he’s the nicest guy, but he’s a total killer.”
Trump reminisced about the Howdy Modi event in Houston, saying it was “beautiful and they filled up the stadium.” He added: “We had a couple of occasions, when someone was threatening India, he would totally change.I said, let me help, I am very good with those people.” Trump recalled Modi’s firm stance, quoting him: “I will do it, I will do anything necessary, we have defeated them for hundreds of years.”
Trump continued: “He was talking about a certain country; you can probably guess the country. But I said, whoa, what happened there? They are all smart, and he’s a very good person.”
Modi and Trump have always had a close relationship. This connection was prominently displayed at the “Howdy Modi” rally in Houston, Texas, in September 2019. Attended by over 50,000 Indian-Americans, this event was a historic moment in US-India relations. Trump’s participation was a notable gesture, with both leaders praising each other and underscoring the growing ties between their countries. Modi referred to Trump as a “true friend,” and Trump, in turn, applauded Modi’s leadership and the contributions of the Indian diaspora.
In February 2020, Trump made a reciprocal visit to India for the “Namaste Trump” event in Ahmedabad. Held at the world’s largest cricket stadium, the event was attended by over 100,000 people, making it Trump’s largest rally outside the US. Trump used the occasion to praise Modi’s leadership and India’s economic progress, emphasising the shared democratic values that bond the two nations. More recently, Trump had said that ‘fantastic Modi’ was going to meet him for the Quad Summit, but the meeting didn’t take place.
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