NEW DELHI: US President Donald Trump declared that India and the United States had never been closer, during a phone call with Ambassador Sergio Gor amid the US Independence Day celebrations, 'Freedom 250'. The event was attended by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and featured a performance by AR Rahman.
Trump's Message for PM Modi
Gor, a trusted inner circle loyalist, managed to get Trump on the line in the middle of the festivities. Trump said, "India can count on me 100%. If they ever need help, they know where to call. They call right here. We're doing well. We're setting records. We have a record economy, a record stock market and anything India wants to get. I am a big fan of Prime Minister Modi."
Praise for Rubio and Trade Deal
When asked about Secretary Rubio, Trump called him "the greatest secretary of state in the history of the US." Rubio later joked that while the US has had many great ambassadors, none were better event planners than Gor. Gor revealed that an interim trade deal between India and the US would be signed in a few weeks. "Since I arrived in New Delhi just five months ago, we have announced an interim trade deal that, hopefully, in the next few weeks, will get signed. India has been invited, accepted and joined Pax Silica, and commercial diplomacy is at a record high," he said.
