Namaste Trump: Itinerary of US President Donald Trump's 2 Day Visit To India
U.S. President Donald Trump will arrive in Ahmedabad on Monday for the first leg of his maiden trip to India during which he will visit Mahatma Gandhi's Sabarmati Ashram, participate in a 22-km roadshow with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and speak jointly at a cricket stadium about a lakh population. He and his wife, Melania, will then head for Uttar Pradesh to see the iconic Taj Mahal in Agra.
Trump, also accompanied by his daughter Ivanka, son-in-law Jared Kushner and his administration's top brass, will get a taste of India's cultural potpourri during a highly symbolic Gujarat itinerary, especially after the bonhomie between the two leaders at the' Howdy, Modi!' Case last september in Houston.
"I am looking forward to being with the people of India. We're going to have many millions and millions of people. It's a long journey. I'm getting along very well with Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi. He's a friend of mine," Trump told reporters outside the White House before he left for India.
"I've been committed to this trip a long time ago. I'm looking forward to it. I hear it'll be a big event... the biggest event they've ever had in India. That's what the prime minister told me. It's the biggest event they've ever had," he said.
Trump, scheduled to arrive at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Monday at 11:40, will take part in road shows wit h Modi on his way from the airport to Sabarmati Ashram and from there to the newly built Motera cricket stadium where more than one lakh people are expected to attend the' Namaste Trump ' case.
Dance groups and singers from various states will perform on stages that will cover the' India Roadshow ' 22-km route in the city that has been spruced up for Trump's visit. Huge billboards of the two leaders and replicas of historic places in Gujarat were also mounted along the roads that will carry Trump's convoy.
For the tour, more than 10,000 police officers, along with U.S. Secret Service officers, and National Security Guards (NSG) and Special Protection Group (SPG) personnel were deployed.
"India is looking forward to hosting Donald Trump," Modi had said earlier on Sunday in a tweet. "Tomorrow, beginning with the historic program in Ahmedabad, it's an honor to be with us."
Trump, the seventh U.S. president to visit the country, also took to Twitter and said he looked forward to being in India with his "great friends" as he retweeted a video that superimposed his face on the hit Indian film character Bahubali, portraying him as a great savior.
Modi would follow Trump to the Sabarmati Ashram, the residence of Mahatma Gandhi during India's struggle for freedom from 1917-1930. Many world leaders have visited the site in recent years including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Ashram secretary Amrut Modi said Trump will spend 15 minutes at the place.
During the' Namaste Trump ' function, Trump and Modi will address the crowd, a cultural extravaganza will be organized at Motera Stadium. The Bollywood singers Kailash Kher and Parthiv Gohil, as well as Gujarati folk singers Kirtidan Gadhvi, Gita Rabari, Purushottam Upadhyay and Sairam Dave will participate, Gujarat Cricket Association officials said.
Moving on to Agra
Trump and his entourage will then travel to Agra, where Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will welcome them on his arrival at Kheria airport at 4:30 pm.
Massive security has been deployed throughout the region, particularly along the nearly 13-km route that Trump's convoy will take from the airport to the hotel in Amarvilas and around the Taj.
According to official schedule, Trump will arrive at the Taj Mahal complex at 5:15 pm with his family and spend about an hour in the famous mausoleum built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in the 17th Century. He will then depart for Delhi for the main leg of the visit during which on Tuesday at Hyderabad House there will be restricted and delegation-level talks between him and Modi.
The tour is expected to raise bilateral security and strategic relations substantially, but it is unlikely to yield tangible results from in addressing thorny issues such as trade tariffs.
Trump's nearly 36-hour visit is also expected to send a clear message of growing interest congruence on major geopolitical developments in the region and beyond, particularly as China increases its military and economic power.
Trump's Day 2 itinerary
On the morning of February 25, Trump and the First Lady will be given a formal welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan forecourt. From there they'll go to Rajghat to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi's' samadhi.'
This will be followed by talks between Trump and Modi at Hyderabad House, with the PM hosting a lunch for the US president following the talks.
In their talks, the two leaders are likely to focus on a wide variety of bilateral and regional issues including trade and investment, defence and security, counter-terrorism, energy security, religious freedom, proposed peace deal with Taliban in Afghanistan and situation in the Indo-Pacific, according to Indian and US officials.
A high-powered delegation comprising Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien and Energy Secretary Dan Broulliette accompanies Trump.
Trump is expected to attend other private events at the US Embassy in the afternoon, including a roundtable with representatives from the industry.
Trump will meet with President Ram Nath Kovind at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in the evening where they will host a banquet. Later that evening Trump will depart from India.