President Trump more prepared in second term; we share bond of mutual trust: PM Modi-OxBig News Network

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he shares a bond of mutual trust with US President Donald Trump and they connect well because they believe in putting their respective national interests above everything else.

In a podcast with Lex Fridman, Modi hailed Trump as a man of courage, who took his own decisions, was unwaveringly dedicated to the United States and the same spirit was on display when he was shot at by a gunman on the election campaign trail last year.

The PM said President Trump appeared far more prepared than before in his second term. “He has a clear roadmap in his mind with well-defined steps, each one designed to lead him towards his goals,” Modi said on Trump’s second term as President.

The PM said he had the chance to meet members of Trump’s team during his recent visit to the US. “I truly believe he has put together a strong and capable group. And with such a strong team, I feel they are fully capable of implementing President Trump’s vision,” Modi said.

He recalled his meetings with Vice President JD Vance, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk. The PM recalled the ‘Howdy Modi’ community event at the packed NRG Stadium in Houston in September 2019 and how Trump listened to his speech by sitting among the audience. “Now, that’s his humility. The President of the United States sitting in the audience while I spoke from the stage — that was a remarkable gesture on his part,” Modi said.

The PM also recalled how the US security detail went into a tizzy when he casually asked Trump to take a round of the packed stadium to greet the audience and he had agreed without hesitation. “His entire security detail was thrown off guard, but for me that moment was truly touching. It showed me that this man had courage. He makes his own decisions, but also he trusted me enough in that moment to have walked with me into the crowd,” he said.

“It was that sense of mutual trust, a strong bond between us that I truly witnessed on that day. And the way I saw President Trump that day walking into a crowd of thousands without even asking for security, it was truly amazing,” the PM said.

Modi said he saw the same resilient and determined Trump when he was shot at during the US election campaign. “Even after being shot, he remained unwaveringly dedicated to America. His life was for his nation. This showed his America First spirit, just as I believe in ‘India first’,” PM Modi said. “I stand for India first and that’s why we connect so well. These are the things that truly resonate,” Modi said.

He added that politicians across the world get so much media coverage that people mostly perceive them through its lens. “People rarely get the chance to truly meet or personally know one another and perhaps third-party intervention is the real cause of tensions,” Modi said.