Narendra Modi US VIsit: Will PM Modi be meeting Donald Trump? Government neither confirms, nor denies.
New Delhi:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will be on a visit to the United States from September 21 to September 23 has a packed schedule. From the Quad Summit and UN General Assembly session, to holding multiple bilateral and courtesy meetings. He is also scheduled to meet top CEOs and business leaders and will also address the Indian community at a diaspora event in New York.
Ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit, former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said he will be meeting PM Modi during his visit. The US goes to polls on November 5 and Mr Trump is currently campaigning across the United States.
Though Mr Trump has claimed that there will be a meeting between the two leaders, the Ministry of External Affairs today did not announce it as part of the Prime Minister’s itinerary.
When asked if PM Modi and Donald Trump will meet, the foreign ministry spokesperson said, “Many meetings are being fixed and the process is ongoing. At this moment we can’t confirm any specific meet. We are looking at it from various angles. If and When meetings are fixed and confirmed with any leader, we will update you all.”
While campaigning in Michigan on Tuesday, Donald Trump said he would meet PM Modi during his visit to the United States at the end of this week. He described Prime Minister Modi as “A fantastic man”.
“He (PM Modi) happens to be coming to meet me next week, and (Prime Minister) Modi, he’s fantastic. I mean, fantastic man. A lot of these leaders are fantastic,” Donald Trump said.
Speaking about Indians, Mr Trump said, “These people are the sharpest people,” but India imposes heavy tariffs on imports, “they are a very big abuser of tariffs.”
“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. India is very tough. Brazil is very tough, China is the toughest of all, but we were taking care of China with the tariffs,” he said.
The United States is going to polls on November 5 and postal voting has begun in several states. Donald Trump, who is the Republican candidate and is seeking a second term in the White House, is up against Democrat candidate Kamala Harris, who is seeking her first term as President. Ms Harris is the current Vice President of the United States.
The most recent electoral polls suggest that Kamala Harris, who is of Indian heritage, is leading Donald Trump.
A new poll released today shows Kamala Harris with significant leads over Donald Trump in swing-states Pennsylvania and Michigan, two “blue wall” battlegrounds seen as key to winning the White House in November.
In the most latest poll of likely voters, Kamala Harris is leading Donald Trump 51 per cent to 45 per cent in Pennsylvania, and tops him 50-45 per cent in Michigan, two states in the post-industrial Rust Belt in the American Midwest and Northeast.