“India can count on me, I’m a big fan of PM Modi”: Trump joins Delhi event via virtual call

Donald Trump on Sunday delivered a warm message for India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a virtual address at the 250th US Independence Day celebration at the US Embassy in New Delhi, saying India could count on him “100 per cent”.

The remarks came amid expanding cooperation between India and the US in areas including trade, defence and the Quad partnership. During the interaction, Trump highlighted his close ties with Modi and underscored the importance of bilateral relations.

“I love India. PM Modi is great; he is my friend,” Trump said. “India can count on me 100 per cent. We’re doing well, setting records with our economy and stock market. I’m a big, big fan of Prime Minister Modi.”

Trump also praised Marco Rubio, who is in India for the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, calling him “the greatest Secretary of State in the history” of the United States.

Rubio’s visit comes as India hosts representatives from the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, which includes India, United States, Japan and Australia. The grouping has increasingly focused on Indo-Pacific security, maritime cooperation and resilient supply chains.

US Ambassador Sergio Gor, who attended the event alongside Rubio, highlighted what he described as the strong personal bond between Trump and Modi.

“Every time the President and I speak, one of the first questions he asks is, ‘How is my friend, the Prime Minister doing?’” Gor said, adding that the relationship between the two countries had entered “a new era of shared success.”

The event also reflected optimism around an interim India-US trade agreement under discussion. Gor said a framework had already been announced and suggested the deal could be signed in the coming weeks.

In a separate interview with India Today TV, Rubio said negotiators were working through the “very final details” of the proposed agreement and expressed confidence that a deal could be reached soon.

“We’re on the verge of a trade deal,” Rubio said, adding that it could create opportunities for deeper economic cooperation between the two countries.