The White House says the president will be accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump.
The White House on Monday afternoon confirmed the visit of President Donald Trump to India later this month. A statement released by the press secretary said the president will be visiting India, along with First Lady Melania Trump, on February 24 and 25.
The president will arrive in New Delhi on 24th and would then travel to Ahmadabad in Gujarat, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state. The White House statement mentioned the significance of Ahmadabad, which played an important role in the life of Mahatma Gandhi and his leadership that strengthened India’s independence movement.
The two leaders, confirmed the visit over a telephone call over the weekend, according to the statement. It said that the trip will further strengthen the United States-India strategic partnership and highlight the strong and enduring bonds between the American and Indian people.
The visit will be Trump’s first visit to India as president and he will be the fourth successive president to visit the country. Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama have all visited India, with Obama visiting the country twice, once in each term.
Trump and Modi have met several times since 2017. Last September, the two leaders jointly appeared at the “Howdy Modi†event in Houston, which was attended by more than 50,000 Indian Americans.
The two leaders are expected to sign a trade deal during the visit, signaling an end to trade tensions that have simmered for a while. A few months ago, India had imposed trade tariffs on the US, a step that was seen as retaliation to Washington’s removal of a program allowing duty free entry of up to $5.6 billion of annual exports into this country.
Trump’s visit also comes at volatile time in Delhi, where constant protests over the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act have continued for weeks.