I am a big, big fan of PM Modi; India can count on me 100 pc: President Trump

India can count on me 100 per cent, US President Donald Trump said on Sunday night, calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi a “great” friend during an event celebrating the 250th anniversary of American independence.

The event at the Bharat Mandapam here was graced by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Ambassador Sergio Gor.

The highlight of the event was a performance by A R Rahman.

“I just want to say hello to everybody. I love the Prime Minister, (Narendra) Modi is great, he is my friend and I just want to say a very good evening to everybody,” Trump said in a phone conversation with Gor.

“I am a big, big fan of Prime Minister Modi,” he said.

The US ambassador held his phone to a microphone for the audience to hear Trump’s remarks.

“We’ve never been closer to India and India can count on me 100 per cent and our country,” the US president said. “If they ever need help, they know where to call — they call right here.”

Trump also claimed that the US economy was doing well.

“We’re doing well, we’re setting records. We’ve a record economy, a record stock market,” he said.

The highlight of the evening was Rahman’s performance as he sang hits such as “Dil Se”, “Maa Tujhe Salaam” and “Tere Bina”.

In his remarks, Trump also described Rubio as the “greatest secretary of state in the history of the US” and concluded by saying: “Say hello to Prime Minister Modi and let him know I’m a big fan.”

In his brief address, Rubio described India as a key partner of the US.

Jaishankar said the US declaration of independence articulated ideas that shaped the modern world such as individual liberty, rule of law, free speech and accountable governance, and their resonance in India was natural given the country’s history as a pluralistic society with a consultative ethos.

The experiences of the US independence movement were taken into account by the makers of India’s Constitution and the affinities between the two sides have grown with deeper economic and technology ties, Jaishankar said.

The shared traits of being political democracies, market economies and open societies have been strengthened by a convergence of national interests and this has enabled the two sides to overcome the “hesitations of history”, the external affairs minister said.Politics

The Indian diaspora in the US has helped build political understanding between the two countries, he noted.

Jaishankar argues that the world is going through an era of transition and it makes a good case for the India-US relationship to grow stronger.

“Both nations gave a common interest in de-risking the global economy and providing the world with more choices,” he said.

There was also a celebration of Rubio’s birthday and the evening was capped by a performance by the American band Village People.