Touting himself as “a big fan of Hindu and a big fan of India”, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has vowed to make India and the United States “best friends” with a “phenomenal future together” if he wins the White House race next month.
At an impressive Indian-American event put together by the Republican Hindu Coalition in Edison, New Jersey on Saturday, Trump also heaped praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling him a “great man” who has put India on track for fast growth with a series of economic reforms.
Hailing India as the world’s largest democracy and a natural ally of the United States, he told the cheering crowd: “Under a Trump Administration, we are going to become even better friends. In fact, I’ll take the word ‘even’ out as we’re going to be best friends. There won’t be any relationship more important to us.”
Calling India “a key and strategic ally”, Trump said he looks forward to deepening the diplomatic and military cooperation that is in the shared interest of both countries.
“I am a big fan of Hindu and I am a big fan of India. Big, big fan,” Trump declared in a 15-minute address after lighting a traditional brass lamp. “let me start saying right up front that if I am elected President, the Indian and Hindu community will have a true friend in the White House.”
“I look forward to working with Prime Minister Modi who has been very energetic in reforming the economy and bureaucracy. Great man. I applaud him,” he said, remarking: “I look forward to doing some serious bureaucratic trimming right here in the United States”.
“Your great Prime Minister has been a pro-growth leader for India. He has simplified the tax code, cut the taxes and the economy is strong growing at 7 per cent year. Excellent. Our economy is practically not growing at all in the US. It’s about zero. We will have a great relationship with India,” Trump said.
A brainchild of Shalabh Kumar, a Chicago-based businessman and co-founder of the Republican Hindu Coalition, the event included a dose of Bollywood-style entertainment with artistes flown in from India was organized for Kashmiri Pandits and Bangladeshi Hindu terrorist victims.
On trade, an area in which his rhetoric has worried many countries, Trump sought to reassure India, saying: “We are for free trade. We will have good trade deals with other countries. We are going to do a lot of business with India. We are going to have a phenomenal future together.”
In what was the first exclusive address to an Indian-American audience this election season by a presidential nominee, Trump lauded India’s role in the battle against terrorism as he recalled the “absolutely outrageous” terrorist attacks in Mumbai in 2008 and on Indian Parliament in 2001.