Donald Trump India Visit: Ceremonial Welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan

New Delhi: President Donald Trump was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhawan on Tuesday morning. This included a guard of honour in the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

President Trump was welcomed by the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, accompanied by his wife Savita Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and other dignitaries. The US president was accompanied by first lady Melania Trump. His daughter and senior adviser in the Trump administration Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, another senior adviser in the White House, also arrived ahead of the US president.

The colourful ceremony began with the US national anthem followed by "Jana gana mana", played by the band of the Armed Forces. He then inspected the ceremonial guard of honour of all three wings of the Armed Forces.

The pomp and pageantry associated with a ceremonial welcome accorded by the President of India was on full display in the case of the most powerful head of state in the world. President Trump was then introduced to dignitaries in the Indian delegation by President Ramnath Kovind, including senior cabinet ministers, bureaucrats and chiefs of Army, Air Force and Navy, as also the Chief of Defence Staff.

Donald Trump then introduced members of the American delegation to President Kovind. The US President will now go to Rajghat to lay a ceremonial wreath. Later, he will proceed to Hyderabad House for the business end of his two-day visit.