US President Donald Trump has landed at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International airport, Gujarat, India and has kicked off his first India visit from Gujarat. PM Modi received Donald Trump, Melania Trump, Ivanka Trump and others at the Ahmedabad airport today. Trump will be visiting the Sabarmati Ashram, hold a joint roadshow with PM Narendra Modi along a 22-kilometre stretch in Ahmedabad and later address a mega event ‘Namaste Trump’ at the Motera Stadium where the two leaders will jointly address over 1 lakh people. Trump and his team will later leave for Agra to see the Taj Mahal in the evening where CM Yogi Adityanath will be welcoming the US delegation.
Donald Trump India Visit LIVE Updates
US President Donald Trump is visiting India today along with First Lady Melania Trump, daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner. This is Donald Trump’s first India visit which he will start from the Sabarmati Ashram. After attending the events lined up in Ahmedabad with PM Narendra Modi, Donald Trump and his delegation, including Melania Trump, will be flying to Agra in the evening where they will visit the Taj Mahal. By 3.30 pm, Trump will leave for Agra and at 5.15 pm, he is scheduled to visit the Taj Mahal. He will leave for Delhi by 5.45 pm and arrive in the National Capital’s Palam Air force Station by 7.30 pm.
The Taj Mahal will be shut down for the general public in the afternoon and tickets will be sold only till 11:30 am. Entry into the Taj Mahal will be closed for visitors later. Trump is scheduled to arrive at the Taj Mahal complex at 5:15 pm and will spend about an hour at the famed 17th-century mausoleum. Agra authorities have been preparing for the much-anticipated Trump visit for weeks. Over 14,000 liters of water was poured into the rotting Yamuna River to reduce its stench while workers have been cleaning and decorating the Taj Mahal premises for days ahead of the visit.
US President Donald Trump is known to have a large appetite, both on and off the plate. His diet is often a rotation of steaks and burgers, while his political interests run high on making America great again. However, his visit to India, though may benefit in attracting Indian-American voters in the US, will hit his meaty diet as a strictly vegetarian Narendra Modi prepares to host him at several meals.
He will get a taste of India’s cultural potpourri during his Gujarat itinerary. Dance groups and singers from different parts of the country will be performing on stages that are dotting the 22-km route of the ‘India roadshow’ in Ahmedabad that has been spruced up for Trump’s visit. Huge billboards of the two leaders and replicas of historic places in Gujarat have also been placed along the roads where people will greet the two leaders. Over 10,000 police personnel, besides officials of the United States Secret Service, and personnel of the National Security Guards (NSG) and the Special Protection Group (SPG) have been deployed for the high profile visit.
A cultural extravaganza will be organised at the Motera stadium during the ‘Namaste Trump’ event, where Trump and Modi will address the gathering. Bollywood singers Kailash Kher and Parthiv Gohil, and Gujarati folk singers like Kirtidan Gadhvi, Gita Rabari, Purushottam Upadhyay and Sairam Dave will perform at the stadium. Students of various government and private schools have also been roped in to perform at cultural events and they have been practicing for days. A cut-out of the 12th century ‘Kirti Toran’ (a pair of columns supporting an arch), from Modi’s hometown Vadnagar in Gujarat’s Mehsana district, has also been put up outside the Ahmedabad airport to welcome Trump.
Talking about the Agra visit, on his arrival at the Kheria airport at 4:30 pm on Monday, a group of about 350 artistes will be performing. Huge security has been deployed across Agra, especially along the nearly 13-km route to be taken by Trump’s convoy from the airport to the Amarvilas hotel, and in and around the Taj. The president, his family and members of the high-level delegation accompanying him will move in eco-friendly golf carts to travel into the monument premises.
Hours before Donald Trump lands in Ahmedabad, PM Narendra Modi tweets welcome message, says India awaits your arrival. PM Modi has said, “India awaits your arrival @POTUS @realDonaldTrump! Your visit is definitely going to further strengthen the friendship between our nations. See you very soon in Ahmedabad.”
At 9:48 am, the entry of visitors begins at Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad, where US President Donald Trump will attend the ‘Namaste Trump’ event today.
According to Indian and US officials, Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are likely to focus on a wide variety of bilateral and regional issues including trade and investment, defense and security, counter-terrorism, energy security, religious freedom, proposed peace deal with Taliban in Afghanistan and situation in the Indo-Pacific in their talks on Tuesday.
Apart from First Lady Melania Trump and advisors Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, Donald Trump is accompanied by a high-powered delegation comprising Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien, and Energy Secretary Dan Broulliette.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad at 10.25 am, almost an hour and a half before Donald Trump’s arrival along with his delegation.
BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) President Sourav Ganguly and Secretary Jay Shah arrive at the Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad at 11:08 am, ahead of ‘Namaste Trump’ event at the stadium.
Meanwhile, the cultural program has commenced at the Motera stadium with a group of dancers performing over there. On the other hand, the artists perform at the Airport Circle in Ahmedabad ahead of the arrival of US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump.
Air Force One, the aircraft carrying US President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and his high-level delegation, has landed at Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhai Patel airport at 11:43 am.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at Ahmedabad airport to receive US President Donald Trump and others at 11:53 am. At 12:04 pm, Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomes US President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and others at the Ahmedabad airport.
At 12:16 pm, Donald Trump and PM Narendra Modi are on their way to the Sabarmati Ashram. Locals, performers, and onlookers have gathered along the route in large numbers to greet the two leaders as the cavalcade carrying the Trump family and PM Modi move towards Sabarmati Ashram.
AT 12:31 pm, US President Donald Trump and Melania Trump have reached Sabarmati Ashram. The two were welcomed with garlands at Mahatma Gandhi’s ashram. Now PM Modi is giving a tour of the Sabarmati Ashram. Donald Trump and Melania Trump try their hands at spinning the Charkha at the Sabarmati Ashram. Workers from the Sabarmati Ashram give them a demonstration of the Charkha and how Mahatma Gandhi used the wheel to weave. US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump also write in the visitor’s book at Sabarmati Ashram. The note says, “To my great friend Prime Minister Modi, thank you for this wonderful visit.”
At 12:51 pm, US President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and PM Modi are now en route to the Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad for the mega joint address ‘Namaste Trump’.
At 13:26 pm, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the US President have arrived at the Motera Stadium for the ‘Namaste Trump’ event.
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