US Vice-President JD Vance, currently on a four-day visit to India, praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling him a “special person” during an address in Jaipur on Tuesday. Vance shared personal anecdotes from his family’s interactions with the Indian Prime Minister, including a dinner hosted at the PM’s official residence and a previous gesture made during an international summit in Paris.
“My Son Wants to Live in India”: Vance Recalls Dinner at PM’s Residence
During his speech in Jaipur, Vance described a humorous moment following a dinner hosted by PM Modi at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg in Delhi. The US Vice-President was accompanied by his wife, Usha Vance, and their three children.
“My son, Ewan, is seven-years-old. He is our first-born son. Yesterday after we had dinner at the Prime Minister’s House, the food was so good and the Prime Minister was so kind to our three children, that Ewan came to me afterwards and said ‘Dad, maybe I can live in India’,” Vance said, prompting laughter from the audience.
However, Vance noted that the Jaipur heat soon changed his son’s opinion. “I think after about 90 minutes in the Jaipur sun today at the Great Palace, he (Ewan) suggested maybe we should move to England. So you take the good with the bad here,” he added, referencing their visit to historic sites like Amer Fort.
Modi’s Paris Birthday Gesture for Vance’s Son
Recalling a previous meeting during the AI Action Summit in Paris in February, Vance spoke about Modi’s thoughtful gesture for his younger son Vivek, who turned five during the summit.
“I think he is a special person. I first met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the AI Action Summit in February. We had a lot of important discussions on AI and other policies to prepare for. And the Prime Minister also managed to figure out that my son Vivek was actually turning five-years-old on the trip. This was in Paris, just a couple of months ago. So think about this—huge international policy conference. He took the time to stop by where I was staying, wish our second son Vivek a happy birthday and even bring him a gift,” Vance said.
He added that he and his wife were “genuinely touched by his (Modi’s) graciousness” and even more impressed by his warmth during their current visit.
Children Bond with Only Two World Leaders: Vance
Highlighting the honest nature of children and their unique rapport with world leaders, Vance explained how his children had only taken a liking to two political figures: President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“It’s interesting. Some of you may know that when you are a politician, your kids spend almost as much time in the limelight as you do and the great thing about kids is that they are brutally honest. They are brutally honest with everybody, whether you want them to be or not. And our seven-year-old, five-year-old and three-year-old baby girl Mirabelle… it’s interesting they’ve only really built a rapport with only two world leaders,” he said.
“First, of course, is President Trump. He just has some certain energy. And Prime Minister Modi is the exact same thing our kids just like and I think because kids are of such strong characters, I just like Prime Minister Modi too and I think it’s a great foundation of our relationship,” Vance added.
“Modi Is a Serious Leader”: Vance
Concluding his remarks, the US Vice-President said he saw PM Modi as a deeply thoughtful and serious leader. “Modi is a serious leader, who has thought deeply of India’s prosperity and security not just the rest of his time in office but over the next century,” he said.
Vance’s visit comes amid ongoing efforts to deepen US-India ties, and his warm words reflect growing camaraderie between the two nations at both diplomatic and personal levels.
