The stadium in Ahmedabad, the largest city in Modi's home state of Gujarat, was nearly at capacity as the president touched down late Monday morning. Outside the airport, dancers clad in vibrant-colored clothing performed as president's motorcade made its way to Sabarmati Ashram, one of Mahatma Gandhi’s residences that now hosts a museum.
More than 100,000 people poured into the brand new stadium for “Namaste Trump," an event designed to reciprocate last fall’s Texas “Howdy Modi” rally that drew 50,000 Indian-Americans to greet the Indian prime minister. The president and first lady Melania Trump are expected to be feted in a whirlwind, two-day diplomatic display aimed at highlighting U.S.-Indian relations amid escalating trade frictions between the two countries.
Trump opened his remarks to praise Modi for the "stunning display of India's culture and kindness," noting that he traveled 8,000 miles with the first lady to deliver a message to the people of India.
"America loves India, America respects India and America will always be faithful and loyal to the Indian people," he said as the crowd erupted in cheers.
Inside the stadium, a sea of white hats emblazoned with the U.S. and Indian flags and the Namaste Trump logo replaced the trademark red hats typically seen at Trump rallies. Signs highlighting their friendship ringed the stadium: "One momentous occasion. Two dynamic leaders," one read.
Rishi Sharma, a 20-year-old university student from Ahmedabad, said she follows Trump on Twitter but to see him speak in person is a "great honor."
"People over here think that he's really powerful," Sharma said about Trump's appeal in India. "In India, there's a culture where like everyone wants to go to the U.S. for career or for higher studies."
The president used most of his welcome rally not to boast about his own economic record - but to tout that of Modi's. He praised his Indian counterpart as an "exceptional leader," adding that his rise from a chaiwalla, or tea-seller, to the leader of the country "underscores the limitless promise of this nation."
The U.S. has sought to strengthen strategic ties with India in recent years as it looks to counter China’s rise and Trump’s trip is the latest signal in a greater strategic convergence, according to Milan Vaishnav, the head of the South Asia program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
“Despite all the differences, the ratcheting up of diplomatic and military attention to strategies that could counter Chinese expansionism is something that’s been pretty consistent,” he said.
The trip comes amid a tit-for-tat trade dispute between the two countries. Negotiators worked to try to secure a deal before Trump's visit, but talks fizzled over India’s protectionist policies and a scope of differences including e-commerce and digital trade, according to a senior administration official who briefed reporters ahead of the trip.
The U.S. wants more access to Indian markets on agricultural products and medical devices while India is aiming to restore its preferential status in a trade program for developing countries.
Trump said he planned to continue trade discussions with Modi during his visit, calling the prime minister a "tough" negotiator. He said he planned to make a "very very major - among the biggest ever - trade deals," but added talks were in "the early stages.
But Trump confirmed tomorrow's expected announcement of an arms deals worth over $3.5 billion for six Apache helicopters and 24 anti-submarine warfare helicopters. He declared he wanted the U.S. to be "India's premier defense partner" and the deal was a step toward that goal.
“We’re not treated very well by India, but I happen to like Prime Minister Modi a lot,” Trump told reporters Tuesday when asked about whether a trade deal might emerge. “And he told me we’ll have seven million people between the airport and the event.”
That number jumped to 10 million by Thursday, when Trump again mentioned the upcoming “Namaste Trump” event at a rally in Colorado. While Trump’s estimate is millions more than that city’s population, tens of thousands of people turned out for the president's colorful welcome. City officials erected 28 stages along the 14-mile route stretching from the airport to the stadium, featuring performances by artists to showcase India's 28 states..
Trump will cap off the first day of his diplomatic sprint by flying to Agra for a sunset tour of the Taj Mahal, the 17th-century mausoleum he once named a hotel and casino after in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
In New Delhi on Tuesday, Trump will participate in ceremonial events, hold a meet-and-greet with U.S. embassy staffers and attend an event with Indian investors focused on companies that are investing in manufacturing in the U.S., according to a senior administration official.
Though Monday’s visit marks the president’s first official visit, Trump has maintained strong business ties to India through several luxury properties owned by the Trump Organization. Outside of North America, the Trump Organization holds the largest portfolio of real estate projects in India, according to Donald Trump Jr. That could be part of the reason for the president’s popularity in India compared to his divided approval ratings back home. About 56% of Indians approve of Trump’s foreign policies, according to the Pew Research Center, a figure that has quadrupled since he took office.
The high-profile trip also gives Trump a chance to look presidential on the world stage as he ramps up his re-election campaign back home. With an eye on November’s election, Trump called out the 4 million Indian-Americans in the U.S. as a group that "enrich every aspect of our national life." The group, though, is historically a reliable Democratic constituency.
But it also comes as Modi faces mounting pressure over an economic slowdown, a security crackdown in Kashmir and ongoing protests over his Bharatiya Janta Party’s Hindu-nationalist agenda, including a controversial new citizenship law that excludes Muslims.
During his remarks, Trump described India as a place "where millions upon millions of Hindus and Muslims and Sikhs and Jains, Buddhists, Christians and Jews worship side by side in harmony."
"India is a country that proudly embraces freedom, liberty, individual rights, the rule of law and the dignity of every human being," he said.
Trump will join Modi and other Indian officials for a state dinner Tuesday night at the presidential palace before returning to Washington on an overnight flight. The nearly 36-hour trip is the shortest a U.S. president has taken to India since President Richard Nixon’s 22-hour stay in 1969.
Trump will become the seventh president to make the trip to India, but the first to enjoy an arena of support.
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