Trump Hints At Some Announcement At ‘Howdy Modi!’ Event In Houston
Donald Trump says the crowd for the ‘Howdy Modi!’ event has now become bigger after it was announced that he would be going there.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said that he may make an announcement at the ‘Howdy Modi!' event in Houston when he would join Prime Minister Narendra Modi in addressing an estimated 50,000 Indian Americans.
The White House on Monday announced that Trump would join Modi at the Houston rally on Sept. 22 as a "special gesture" by the U.S. President to underscore the special bond between the two countries.
It is for the first time that Trump and Modi would share a stage together. The event is the third meeting between the two leaders in three months, after the G20 summit in Japan in June and the G7 summit in France last month.
On whether he would make any announcement at the Howdy Modi! event, Trump said, "Could be. I have a very good relationship with Prime Minister Modi.” He was speaking to reporters on board the Air Force One on his way back from California to Washington D.C.
According to media reports, officials of the two countries are trying to finalise a India-U.S. trade deal before Modi and Trump meet in Houston.
Trade tensions between India and the U.S. have been rising with Trump complaining that tariffs imposed by New Delhi on American products were "no longer acceptable".
In June, the U.S. terminated India's designation as beneficiary developing country under the Generalised System of Preferences programme. In response, India imposed retaliatory tariffs on 28 U.S. products including almonds and apples, from June 5.
Trump said the crowd for the ‘Howdy Modi!’ event has now become bigger after it was announced that he would be going there. He [Modi] has got a big crowd coming and I guess the crowd just got a lot bigger because they just announced he asked, would I go, and I will go,” the U.S. President said.
Modi will be visiting the U.S. from Sept. 21-27 for the annual session of United Nations General Assembly in New York, where he will meet Trump again. This will be his first U.S. trip after winning a second term as prime minister in May. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan will also be present at the UNGA and is expected to hold a meeting with Trump.