During a significant meeting at the White House on Thursday, former US President Donald Trump gifted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi a personally autographed copy of his book, Our Journey Together.
This photobook, which captures defining moments from Trump’s tenure, features images from landmark events, including the Howdy Modi rally held during Modi’s 2019 visit to the United States.
Warming up to welcoming Modi to the Oval Office, Trump welcomed him with a tight hug before entering into talks over trade, security, and strengthening bilateral relations. As a special gesture, Trump signed the book with a note for Modi, writing,
Browsing through the pages, Trump posted pictures of his 2020 Namaste Trump rally in India and a picture of himself and the former First Lady Melania Trump standing before the Taj Mahal.
"It is an absolute honor to have Prime Minister Modi present. He has been a wonderful friend of mine for many years. Our relationship has been very strong during my four-year term," Trump said to the reporters.
Even as they were friendly, Trump again expressed alarm at India's high tariffs, reiterating his support for trade reciprocity. "We are making sure that we are being fair in trade with India," he said. "Whatever they are charging us, we will charge them the same."
But both the leaders committed to addressing trade conflicts, hoping that a solution could be found shortly. Trump went on to announce future deals by hinting at "some tremendous trade deals" in the making. A top US official then told Reuters that a possible trade agreement could be reached by year-end.
At the press conference, Modi complimented Trump on his leadership approach by saying, "One thing that I appreciate about President Trump is his unflinching dedication towards national interest. I have the same principle—I always put India's national interest first."
As quoted by Reuters, India's recent trade concessions were interpreted as a diplomatic nicety to defuse tensions. A Trump administration official also revealed that the last president treated defense and energy sales to India as prime strategies to lower the US trade deficit.
Aside from commerce, both leaders vowed to strengthen security ties in the Indo-Pacific—a step widely seen as a counter-reaction to China's increasing influence in the region. Trump also stated that the US was ready to sell advanced F-35 fighter jets to India.
They also touched on prospective joint ventures in sectors involving advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and nuclear power, emphasizing their common vision of future cooperation.
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