While sitting backstage at the UFC 327 event in Miami, Florida in April this year, US President Donald Trump thought of calling a friend – Prime Minister Narendra Modi. When US Ambassador to India Sergio Gore shared this story on Monday, he recalled how he pointed out to Trump at the time that it was 6 a.m. in India, and how that didn’t change the president’s mind about speaking with Prime Minister Modi.
“He said, ‘Let’s call the prime minister.’ I said, ‘It’s six o’clock in the morning there.’ He replied, ‘He (Modi) will be awake, he’s like me, he doesn’t sleep,’” Gore said, recalling the backstage conversation with Trump at the UFC event.
Gore went on to share that since Trump had to take the stage soon after, the call with Prime Minister Modi was scheduled for the next day.
“When you’re friends with someone…”
The US envoy recounted the incident to indicate the warmth Trump shares with Prime Minister Modi. “The takeaway message from the story is that when you’re friends with someone, you don’t need to schedule everything,” Gore said.
Read also: Modi is preparing to visit the United States next December; His relationship with Trump was ‘the envy of the world’: envoys
He also said that Trump holds India in the highest esteem and considers Prime Minister Modi a friend, an equation he may not necessarily share with other world leaders. The US ambassador to India said: “There are leaders with whom we discuss matters because he does not consider them to be on the same level as the prime minister.”
Sergio Gore made the remarks while addressing the Leadership Summit of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF). He also said that Trump is very fond of India and keeps talking about his recent visit here. “I look forward, at some point, to the president visiting us in India,” he noted.
The relationship between Trump and Modi, and trade between India and the United States
Sergio Gore stated that the relationship between Modi and Trump dates back to the president’s first term in office. The US ambassador said: “The years he spent with the Prime Minister go back to his first term. There are warm memories of India. This is an incredible benefit.”
He also said that the US-India trade deal is in its “final steps”, with only the final 1% of negotiations remaining.
He added: “People ask: Why is this taking so long? We’ve been at this for a year and a half. To put it in perspective, the EU trade deal took 20 years. So no matter what, as long as we get through the EU deal, I think we’re in good shape. But I’m determined to get this over with.”
Read also: Modi is calm, cool and absolutely lethal. ‘I’m not’: Trump’s high praise for France’s prime minister
Prime Minister Modi, who visited the US in February last year, is likely to visit the US in December to attend the G20 summit. Trump and Prime Minister Modi last met in France on the sidelines of the G7 summit, and their camaraderie was also on display during their bilateral talks.
