Inside Trump’s Diwali celebration at the White House: Praise for 'great person' PM Modi and a repeat of old claims
Trump hosted a Diwali event at the White House, praising PM Modi and claiming India will reduce Russian oil imports. He also repeated his disputed claim about helping prevent an India-Pakistan war. PM Modi thanked Trump for his Diwali wishes, emphasising unity and shared democratic values.
Trump celebrates Diwali in his Oval Office
US President Donald Trump hosted a special Diwali event at the White House on Tuesday (Oct 22)
Who attended the event?
The event was attended by the Indian Ambassador to the US, Vinay Kwatra, FBI chief Kash Patel and intelligence head Tulsi Gabbard, besides the new US envoy to India Sergio Gor and other prominent Indian American business leaders.
What the US President Trump said about PM Modi?
During the event, Trump praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling him “a great person” and saying that he loves “the people of India.” “He's a great person, and he's become a great friend of mine over the years," Trump said.
Trump repeats Russian oil claim
Trump, during the event reiterated that PM Modi has reassured him that India would lower its Russian oil imports. “We just have a very good relationship, and he's not going to buy much oil from Russia. He wants to see that war end as much as with Russia and Ukraine. And as you know, they're not going to be buying too much oil. So, they've got it way back, and they're continuing to cut it way back,” Trump said.
Trump also repeats stopping India-Pak war
While mentioning that he spoke to Indian Prime Minister, Trump also repeated his claims about stopping India-Pak war, despite India's rejection. "Although we did talk a little while ago about let's have no wars with Pakistan. The fact that trade was involved, I was able to talk about that. And we have no war with Pakistan and India. That was a very, very good thing."
How PM Modi responded
In response to the Diwali wishes by Trump, PM Modi thanked him and shared a message of hope and unity. In a post on X, PM Modi wrote, “Thank you, President Trump, for your phone call and warm Diwali greetings. On this festival of lights, may our two great democracies continue to illuminate the world with hope and stand united against terrorism in all its forms.”
Trump's repeated claims and praise for PM Modi
Trump has been repeating his claims about stopping India-Pakistan war. India rejected the claims saying that the India-Pakistan issues are bilateral. Since last week, Trump has been claiming that PM Modi has said that India will stop buying the Russian oil.
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