WASHINGTON, D.C. — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House, marking the first in-person meeting between the two leaders since Trump began his second term.
Modi, who arrived in Washington from France after attending the AI Summit in Paris, is visiting the United States at Trump’s invitation. His stay at Blair House underscores the diplomatic significance of the visit, which Indian officials say aims to strengthen the “India-USA Global Comprehensive Strategic Partnership” across multiple sectors.
Modi is the fourth foreign leader to hold bilateral talks with Trump since his January 20 inauguration, following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, and Jordan’s King Abdullah.
The two leaders have a history of high-profile engagements, including the “Howdy Modi” event in Houston in 2019 and Trump’s state visit to India in February 2020, where they addressed a massive rally in Ahmedabad. Since Trump’s reelection, Modi and Trump have spoken twice, on November 6, 2024, and January 27, 2025.
India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar represented Modi at Trump’s inauguration, meeting with top U.S. officials, including National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Jaishankar’s meeting with Rubio was the first bilateral engagement for the new secretary of state, followed by a QUAD Foreign Ministers’ meeting on January 21.