A person holding masks of PM Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump at Motera stadium on 24 February | Photo: ThePrint
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New Delhi: US President Donald Trump begins his less than 36-hour trip to India today, during which he will attend the ‘Namaste Trump’ event at Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad, visit the Sabarmati Ashram, go the Taj Mahal in Agra, attend a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapathi Bhavan and visit Rajghat in New Delhi.

Accompanied by his wife Melania, daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner, this is Trump’s first ever visit to India.

At the ‘Namaste Trump’ event, the US president and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are expected to address the crowd at the newly opened Motera stadium — an event that will likely resemble the ‘Howdy Modi!’ event the PM attended last year in Houston.

Follow live updates here:

11:39am: US President Donald Trump lands in Ahmedabad.

11:29am: PM Modi replies to Trump’s tweet in Hindi with ‘atithi devo bhava’.

10:55am: US President Donald Trump will attend the ‘Namaste Trump’ event after witnessing a road show in Ahmedabad.

Trump and US First Lady Melania Trump are expected to land at the Ahmedabad International Airport around 11.40 am.

With a capacity to accommodate 1.10 lakh spectators, the Motera cricket stadium, also known as Sardar Patel Stadium, dislodged Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia to become the world’s largest cricket stadium.

Reconstructed at a cost of Rs 700 crore, is it also the second-largest sports stadium.

10:45am: Analysts comment on Trump’s visit

“The visit is a low-risk and characteristically showy distraction from domestic controversies” for the populist leaders, Ian Hall, professor at Griffith University in Queensland, Australia, and author of the 2019 book ‘Modi and the Reinvention of Indian Foreign Policy,’ told Bloomberg.

“Modi will derive a bigger dividend from this trip than Trump, because of the distraction it offers from the domestic controversies, but also because the Indian public simply cares a great deal more about international opinion than its American counterpart,” Hall said.

“Politically I’m sure there’s at least a modest dividend to be achieved on that,” Richard M. Rossow, an India expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said referring to Trump’s visit boosting his appeal among Indian American voters.

Rossow also said Trump and Modi may announce an agreement on a few narrow trade issues. That could include a reduction of Indian tariffs on Harley-Davidson Inc. motorcycles, a U.S. company Trump has championed.

10:30am: PM Modi reaches Ahmedabad, will welcome Trump at the airport.

10:23am: Trump tweets in Hindi, says he is excited to be coming to India.

10:17am: Even before he has landed, Trump coming to India has been a topic of discussion. See what prime time news had to say about it:

Welcoming Trump — India TV on Trump-Modi chemistry, dhokla & apple pie on Republic & ABP

10:05am: After arriving in Ahmedabad, Trump and his delegation will head to Sabarmati Ashram by 12:15pm.

09:55am: Trump’s visit to India is expected to deepen the strategic ties, with both sides signing pacts from defence to energy and giving a renewed push to the Indo-Pacific initiative. Read ThePrint report: 

After Namaste Trump, India and US to strengthen strategic, defence & energy ties

09:48am: President Trump is expected to arrive at 11:40am at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport where there will be an official photo-op.

09:24am: Students of Sola Bhagwat school stand near Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, with the national flags of both India and US, to welcome Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and other dignitaries.

09:22am: Visitors have begun filling up the Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad, where the ‘Namaste Trump’ event will take place.

09:20am: PM Modi leaves for Ahmedabad.

09:00am: Prime Minister Modi tweets at US President Trump, says India awaits his arrival.

 

In New Delhi, the two leaders are expected to hold delegation-level talks at Hyderabad House, followed by a lunch hosted by PM Modi. In the evening, Trump is expected to meet President Ram Nath Kovind at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

After landing in Ahmedabad, Trump will carry out a roadshow, though the route and length of it will depend on whether Trump visits Sabarmati Ashram.

Over the last few years, leaders from several countries, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, have paid a visit to the ashram.

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