Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to US President Donald Trump on Monday in the first conversation between the two leaders after Trump assumed charge of the Oval Office. Earlier, PM Modi had dialled Trump to congratulate him on his victory after the election results.
With Monday’s call, the prime minister became the first leader from the Indo-Pacific region to speak to Trump. The US President’s conversation with PM Modi on the former’s seventh day in office also signifies that US, under Trump 2.0, believes that India and US are the two driving forces in the region.During his first term, Trump redefined US engagement in the Indo-Pacific region. During PM Modi’s visit to US in 2017, the term Indo-Pacific, instead of Asia Pacific, was used, aiming at China. The change in nomenclature was significant. This new term assumed India and US as two anchors on either side of the strategic space. The presence of foreign ministers of Quad member countries at Trump’s inaugural ceremony also speaks volumes about the strategic importance of this grouping in the President’s second tenure.
Apart from diplomatic ties, PM Modi and President Trump have a great personal rapport. On one hand, while Trump termed India ‘Tariff King’, on the other, he always cherished his and PM Modi’s bonding in public.
In a podcast interview, Trump called Modi the “nicest human being” and a “total killer”. When PM Modi was scheduled to visit US in September, Trump himself announced that the Indian prime minister was “coming to meet me” when no such meeting was scheduled — once again highlighting the bond between the leaders.
On Diwali, Trump had raised the issue of atrocities against Hindus in Bangladesh — a concern first raised by PM Modi on the global stage. Trump also said he would work towards strengthening ties with PM Modi and India.
One can also not forget the mega ‘Howdy Modi’ event in Houston in 2019, which was the culmination of PM Modi’s efforts to woo the Indian diaspora. In an interview, Trump had also recalled sharing the stage with PM Modi at the event and said it was “beautiful” to see a packed stadium cheering for Narendra Modi.Extolling his friend’s virtues, Trump said: “I said [to Modi], “Let me help, I am very good with those people. He was talking about a certain country; you can probably guess the country”. He then quoted PM Modi’s firm response. “He said, “I will do it, I will do anything necessary, we have defeated them for hundreds of years,” Trump recalled.
Before PM Modi, Trump spoke mainly to leaders from middle-eastern countries, the prime minister of UK which is an old ally, and the President of El Salvador as Trump wants to make it a safe third country for illegal immigrants. The arrangement, known as a “Safe Third Country agreement”, would empower US immigration officials to deport non-Salvadoran migrants to El Salvador, blocking them from requesting asylum in the US.
Apart from these, he held conversations with the King Of Bahrain, King of Jordan, and Mohammad Bin Salman of Saudi Arabia.
