Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump shared a warm embrace as the latter welcomed the Indian leader to the White House on Thursday (local time).
Trump and PM Modi exchanged greetings and shook hands. Expressing his pleasure at seeing PM Modi again, Trump said, “We missed you, we missed you a lot.”
During the reception, President Trump introduced PM Modi to key US officials, including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. However, an error in reporting mentioned Elon Musk as the head of the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which does not exist.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino shared a picture of PM Modi and Trump on X, captioning it, “Behind Scenes in the West Wing lobby — @POTUS Trump welcomes Prime Minister @NarendraModi of India to the @WhiteHouse.”
The Indian delegation, comprising External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, and India’s Ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra, arrived at the White House shortly after PM Modi. Ahead of his arrival, Indian flags were placed around the White House to mark the occasion.
PM Modi is among the first global leaders to visit the United States following President Trump’s inauguration for his second term. His visit comes within three weeks of the new administration taking office. Since November 2024, PM Modi and Trump have had two telephonic conversations.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had earlier attended Trump’s inauguration as PM Modi’s Special Envoy. During his visit, he also met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and took part in the QUAD Foreign Ministers’ meeting in January 2025.
Before meeting Trump at the White House, PM Modi held bilateral meetings with US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Indian-origin entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and US Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard.
PM Modi arrived in the US on Wednesday (local time) after concluding a three-day visit to France, where he participated in discussions on Artificial Intelligence (AI), commerce, energy, and cultural cooperation. During his stay in France, he also met US Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday (local time).
India and the United States established a “strategic partnership” in 2005, which was later upgraded to a Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership during Trump’s visit to India in February 2020. This latest meeting reaffirms the commitment of both nations to furthering their bilateral relationship.