On Wednesday, PM Modi did land in a soft and rough Washington, D.C., with frost and snow forecast in the hours before his introduction. Additionally, he may become staying at Blair House, the guest house for the US president, directly across the street from the White House.
Six diplomatic discussions have been scheduled starting on Wednesday night when Modi arrives in Washington DC, with the most recent one involving Trump and Modi taking place at 4 p.m. on Thursday, followed by a private dining with the US senator in the evening. The two officials are also expected to speak with the internet either before or after the meeting in the Oval Office.
There is no commitment at US Congress, with sources citing the brief 36-hour visit as the main reason for it. This is symptomatic of the sidelining of the parliamentary wing in what is quickly turning out to be an imperial president. In light of concerns about Trump’s off-the-cuff remarks, the sources said that larger geopolitical considerations would outweigh these issues.
In less than a fortnight after taking office for a second term, Modi is the third foreign leader to join Trump in the White House, a never-before-seen flurry of activity typical of previous US president. Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu was the first to attend, followed by Japan’s Shigeru Ishiba next year. King Abdullah II of Jordan rushed to the White House on Tuesday after Trump threatened to stop support if Amman didn’t handle Palestinians from Gaza before the US’s proposed reconstruction.
There are no such requirements for US-Indian relations, but there will be pressure on New Delhi to lower taxes and purchase more US goods to help the two nations ‘ trade deficit. The Trump administration has also introduced a fresh front that could change India, with problems on the Brics group of nations for purporting to destroy the US dollars as the world supply money, a recommendation that New Delhi has refuted.
