Prime Minister Narendra Modi has concluded his three-day official visit to the US without meeting Donald Trump, despite the former president’s announcement of a potential meeting during a rally in Flint, Michigan.
Fox News reported that Modi was expected to attend Trump’s rally on Long Island, but Indian officials denied any plans for such a meeting even before Modi’s departure. Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri confirmed there was “no specific meeting at present” with the ex-president.
During his visit, Modi attended the Quad Leaders’ Summit in Wilmington, addressed the Indian-American community in Long Island, met with major US tech companies, and participated in the UN’s Summit of the Future. However, he did not meet either presidential candidate, including Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, despite Trump’s previous claims of their friendship.
Trump described Modi as “fantastic” during his rally, expressing hopes for a meeting. This apparent snub contrasts with Modi’s past support for Trump, where he endorsed the former president during significant events like the “Howdy, Modi” rally in Houston in 2019, where he called out “Abki Baar, Trump Sarkar” in front of a large Indian-American audience.
Similarly, in 2020, Modi hosted Trump at the “Namaste Trump” event in Ahmedabad, which drew over 100,000 attendees. These moments were pivotal for Trump’s re-election campaign and aimed at solidifying his support among Hindu voters in the US. However, this year, Modi refrained from echoing the “Abki Baar, Trump Sarkar” sentiment.