New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was on a three-day visit to the United States, returned to India on Tuesday without meeting former President Donald Trump days after Republican presidential nominee announced the meet at a rally in Michigan. This comes after Republican candidate Trump referred to India as an “abuser” in terms of import tariffs.
A Modi-Trump meet was highly anticipated after Donald Trump announced that the Indian Prime Minister will meet him during the US visit. At a town hall meeting in Michigan, Trump said that he will meet PM Modi describing the Indian Prime Minister as "fantastic". "He (PM Modi) happens to be coming to meet me next week, and Modi, he’s fantastic. I mean, fantastic man. A lot of these leaders are fantastic,” Trump said.
Fox News reported that PM Modi was expected to make an appearance on Long Island on Sunday for Trump's rally. However, the Indian Prime Minister wrapped his US trip without meeting the Republican candidate. Earlier, India's Ministry of External Affairs had said that no “specific meeting at present” of PM Modi was scheduled with the former US President.
Two key events were held before the last US election – 'Howdy Modi' in the US and 'Namaste Trump' in Ahmedabad – believed to have played key role in Trump's re-election campaign and sending a message to the Indian origin people in the country.
When Trump Called India 'Abuser'
This comes after Trump referred to India as a “very big abuser” in terms of import tariffs. During his Michigan townhall, Trump said, "So when India, which is a very big abuser… These people are the sharpest people. They’re not a little bit backwards… You know the expression, they’re at the top of their game, and they use it against us. But India is very tough. Brazil is very tough…. China is the toughest of all, but we were taking care of China with the tariffs.”
PM Modi Heads Back To India
Following his three-day visit to the US, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emplaned for India on Monday (local time) from John F Kennedy Airport in New York. During his three-day visit, PM Modi attended the QUAD Leaders' Summit, interacted with the Indian diaspora in New York at the 'Modi and US' event, and addressed the 'Summit of the Future' at the United Nations General Assembly against the backdrop of raging global conflicts, including the Israel-Hamas war and the Ukraine crisis.
PM Modi’s visit comes less than two months before the US heads into presidential elections with Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris in the race for the top job. The US general elections will take place on November 5.