3 times Donald Trump met Narendra Modi — and 2 meetings that did not happen

Heartiest congratulations my friend @realDonaldTrump on your historic election victory. As you build on the successes of your previous term, I look forward to renewing our collaboration to further strengthen the India-US Comprehensive Global and Strategic Partnership. Together,… pic.twitter.com/u5hKPeJ3SY

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 6, 2024

During his previous term, Donald Trump met Prime Minister Modi three times. Here is all you need to know.

1. 01
   

   June 2017: Modi’s visit to Washington DC

   US President Donald Trump and Indian PM Narendra Modi met for the first time in Washington DC in June 2017, vowing to fight terrorism together while issuing a warning to Pakistan. The two leaders, who hugged each other in front of reporters, also praised their countries’ warm relations. They discussed increasing trade links and security co-operation.

   In fact, Modi was also the first foreign dignitary to have dinner at the White House with Trump. The Trump administration’s strong words on Pakistan and terror were seen as a major diplomatic victory for India.

   During a joint news conference in the White House’s Rose Garden, Trump said, “The relationship between India and the United States has never been stronger, never been better.” He also described himself and Modi as “world leaders in social media”.

   Modi, in turn, said the US was India’s “primary partner” for its social and economic transformation, and that his plan for a “new India” converged with Trump’s “vision for ‘making America great again’”. He invited President Trump and his family to visit India, which Trump accepted, said the White House.

2. 02
   

   September 2019: Howdy Modi in Houston, Texas

   PM Modi had invited Trump, then the US President, to the “Howdy Modi” rally in Houston in 2019, which was graced by 50,000 attendees. The rally, where PM Modi had appeared to openly endorse Trump’s re-election bid by echoing the slogan “Ab ki baar, Trump sarkar”, also led to some criticism. However, Howdy, Modi was billed as one of the largest receptions of a foreign leader in the US.

   “I’m so thrilled to be here in Texas with one of America’s greatest, most devoted and most loyal friends, Prime Minister Modi of India,” Trump said. In his speech, Modi said India has a “true friend” in the White House, describing Trump as “warm, friendly, accessible, energetic and full of wit”. “From CEO to commander-in-chief, from boardrooms to the Oval Office, from studios to the global stage… he has left a lasting impact everywhere,” Modi said.

   The visit also came just a month after abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir. Trump sat in the front row as Modi told cheering crowds his decision to remove all autonomy from Kashmir would bring progress and better rights for its people. During an earlier meeting with then Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in the Oval Office in the same year, Trump had claimed that PM Modi had requested him to mediate in the Kashmir dispute. New Delhi had to publicly deny Trump’s statement.

3. 03
   

   February 2020: Namaste Trump in India

   The Howdy Modi event was followed by Trump’s 2020 visit to India, where he was welcomed with the “Namaste Trump” rally, organised by PM Modi in Ahmedabad, with 100,000 people packed into the newly-constructed Motera cricket stadium, later named after Modi. Namaste Trump was the first visit of the then US President Donald Trump and his family to India.

   At the rally, crowds wore cardboard Trump masks and “Namaste Trump” hats to welcome the US president. “You have done a great honour to our country. We will remember you forever, from this day onwards India will always hold a special place in our hearts,” Trump said to an applause. “There is so much that we share, shared values and ideals … shared opportunities and challenges, shared hopes and aspirations,” said Modi at the rally.

   Trump also invoked Swami Vivekananda during his speech at the event: “As the great religious teacher Swami Vivekananda once said, ‘the moment I stand in reverence before every human being and see God in him, that moment I am free’.”

Trump and Modi could have met another two times as well. These meetings fell through due to various reasons.

Invitation to be Republic Day chief guest in 2019

An invite for Trump to visit India was extended for the 2019 Republic Day celebrations. However, the US President could not be the chief guest at the Republic Day parade in India. “President Trump was honoured by Prime Minister Modi’s invitation for him to be the Chief Guest of India’s Republic Day on January 26, 2019, but is unable to participate due to scheduling constraints,” the White House said.

“The President enjoys a strong personal rapport with Prime Minister Modi developed through two meetings and several phone calls and remains committed to deepening the US-India strategic partnership. The President very much looks forward to meeting Prime Minister Modi again at the earliest opportunity,” the US said.

Trump hints at meeting Modi earlier this year

In September this year, ahead of his re-election, as PM Modi was slated to visit the US for the Summit of the Future, and a large diaspora event in New York, then Republican candidate Donald Trump praised PM Modi ahead of his US visit, calling him a “fantastic” leader. Even as Trump hinted at a potential meeting, the Indian side decided to exercise caution based on past experience with American politics. The open endorsement by Modi ahead of Trump’s last re-election bid in 2019 had led to criticism from many quarters and India this time steered clear of Modi meeting any of the two presidential nominees — either Trump or Kamala Harris.