United States President Donald Trump will make his first official trip to India today. The two-day state visit – the eighth by an American president – comes ahead of his potential re-election – the US votes in November – and just months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Howdy, Modi!” event in Texas last year. Mr Trump attended that event, which was organised by the Indian-American community, and addressed a vote bank many believe could play a crucial role in US elections. PM Modi reached Ahmedabad an hour before President Trump is scheduled to land. Many see Mr Trump’s visit as a reciprocal action that will offer PM Modi the chance to claim the support of the US as he struggles to deal with an economic slowdown. Mr Trump’s visit also comes amid tense trade talks between the two countries, after India hiked tariffs for 28 US products in retaliation for the US cancelling a duty-free benefits programme.

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Donald Trump will make his first official trip to India today
  • 2-day state visit comes ahead of his potential re-election
  • Trump’s visit also comes amid tense trade talks between two countries

Here are the top points as Donald Trump visits India:

1- All eyes will be on the meeting between PM Modi and President Trump in Delhi, where an Indo-US trade deal is likely to be discussed. Hopes of an agreement between two of the world’s largest economies have faded in recent days after differences over proposed tariffs by India to protect domestic manufacturers. India’s action came after the US scrapped the general system of preferences that allowed the export of $5.6 billion worth of goods.
2- Apart from growing protectionism, Donald Trump’s visit also comes against the backdrop of India’s multibillion-dollar purchase of a Russian missile shield system, which had added friction to its ties with Washington.
3- Among other issues, the two leaders will discuss during this visit is religious freedom in India. Last week White House officials confirmed President Trump would discuss this “in private” with PM Modi. Mr Trump’s visit comes amid a wave of anti-citizenship law protests, including two violent clashes on Sunday night, that have turned the spotlight on the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act, or CAA, that activists and PM Modi’s political critics say discriminates against Muslims.
4- From Ahmedabad, Donald Trump and his family will travel to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal, which has been treated to several rounds of beautification with the help of mud packs; this too has been described as something that had already been planned. Authorities have also released vast volumes of water into the Yamuna River, which flows along the Taj Mahal, in order to lessen the usual whiff of raw sewage and industrial effluent.
5- First Lady Melania Trump’s scheduled visit to a Delhi government school also attracted controversy, after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia were dropped from the event. Tensions between Mr Kejriwal’s AAP, which rules Delhi and PM Modi’s BJP, in power at the centre, spiked after a bitterly fought Delhi Assembly election last month that the AAP won. Late Sunday evening the US embassy issued a clarification.

Donald Trump India visit 2020 date 

February 24:

On the first day of Trump’s India visit, the US President and First Lady Melania Trump will be in PM Modi’s native state of Gujarat. President Trump and his wife will land at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad at around 12 PM. PM Modi will be there to receive him at the Airport. President Trump will be accorded the Guard of Honour and there will be a cultural reception. PM Modi, President Trump, First Lady Melania will be visiting Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad. Preparations are going on even as security has been heightened at Sabarmati Ashram.

After that, there will be a grand roadshow on the streets of Ahmedabad leading to the newly built Motera Stadium. PM Modi and President Trump are scheduled to inaugurate Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium in Motera. The stadium is touted to become the world’s largest cricket stadium with a seating capacity of over one lakh spectators. At the Motera stadium, the ‘Namaste Trump Event’ will be held and PM Modi and President Trump will be addressing a gathering of over one lakh.

As per the schedule, President Trump along with First Lady Melania will be proceeding to Agra at around 3:30 PM. At around 4:30 PM, President Trump and Melania will reach Agra. They will be received by CM Yogi Adityanath. The schedule for the Taj Visit is fixed at around 5 PM. A few media reports have revealed that PM Modi won’t be accompanying President Trump and First Lady Melania to Agra. However, there is no official information available regarding this. After staying at Taj Mahal for half an hour, both President Trump will be heading towards Delhi.

February 25:

On the second day of his visit to India, President Trump is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings. There will be a ceremonial welcome at the forecourts of Rashtrapati Bhawan at 9 AM. President Trump will then be visiting Rajghat, Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial. President Trump will lay the wreath at Rajghat and observe one-minute silence, as per ANI report. The bilateral meeting, one-to-one meeting and Bilateral Delegation level talks are scheduled at Hyderabad House in the national capital. After that, there will be lunch at Hyderabad House for President Trump, First Lady Melania, hosted by PM Modi.

After that, Vice President Of India Venkaiah Naidu and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will be meeting President Trump at ITC Maurya Hotel in the national capital.

At around 4:30 PM, President Trump will be meeting the US Embassy staff and a reception event has been planned at the US Embassy. Following that there will be Presidential Banquet at Rashtrapati Bhawan at around 7 PM hosted by President Ram Nath Kovind. At 10 PM, President Trump will leave for the US.