US President Donald Trump reiterated his strong backing for India during a telephonic interaction facilitated by newly appointed US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor in New Delhi. According to reports from NDTV Profit, Trump said, 'India can count on me 100%. If they ever need help, they know where to call.' He emphasized that 'We've never been closer to India, and India can count on me 100% and our country.'
Trump described Prime Minister Narendra Modi as 'great' and 'my friend', adding 'I'm a big, big fan of Prime Minister Modi.' As reported by NDTV Profit, Ambassador Sergio Gor underscored the personal chemistry between the leaders, stating that 'Every time the President and I speak, one of the first questions the President will ask is, 'How is my friend, the Prime Minister, doing?' Gor emphasized that 'That is something important to convey because this relationship is not new.'
Highlighting the current state of the US economy, Trump said 'We're doing well. We're setting records. We have a record economy, a record stock market, and anything India wants, we get.' According to NDTV Profit, he concluded his remarks by saying 'Say hello to Prime Minister Modi and let him know I'm a big fan.' Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that 'We are on the verge of making that happen. We are hopeful that our trade representative can visit here very soon. We had an Indian delegation in the United States, I believe last week or the week before. We've made tremendous progress, and I think we're going to wind up with a trade agreement between the United States and India, that's going to be enduring and is going to be beneficial to both sides, and sustainable in a way that addresses this national interest that we had.'
During their recent discussions, both leaders emphasized the strategic importance of their partnership. As reported by NDTV Profit, Trump stated 'We have a strategic partnership which emanates from a convergence of national interest in many areas.' Secretary Rubio highlighted the growing energy cooperation, noting **'The US-India relationship has not lost any momentum. I understand why some people might say that, but I don't see it or view that in any way, shape, or form. The reality of it is you have a new administration that came in. We have... This is not about India, this is about the United States in terms of trade. The president did not say,
Trump also praised US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, calling him 'the greatest Secretary of State in the history of the US.' As reported by NDTV Profit, after Gor mentioned Rubio's presence at the event, Trump said 'Well, Marco is the greatest. He's going down as the greatest Secretary of State in the history of the US.' Secretary Rubio concluded his remarks by stating 'I want to leave clear that the changes, while they may be having a disproportionate impact on a place like India that provides so many high-skilled workers to the US economy, it is not a system that is targeted in India, it is one that's being applied globally, but we're in a period of transition and like any period of transition, there's going to be some bumps on that road, but we think ultimately our destination is going to be a better system, a more efficient system, one that works better than the one that we had in place previously.'
