I guess the whole “President Trump is racist” narrative will have to wait another day.
Because it just doesn’t fly so well after 50,000 people (mostly Indians) show up to cheer on their Prime Minister and President Trump in a joint event.
And it really doesn’t fly so well after PM Modi himself praises President Trump!
Two great leaders, one event, 50,000 people cheering.
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The bond between our two countries growing stronger than ever.
Take a look, it’s pretty incredible:
Here's more on the event, from the Washington Post:
The foreign strategy of soothing tensions with the United States by stroking President Trump’s ego was put into vivid effect here Sunday when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi lathered praise on his American counterpart at a massive rally celebrating the Indian diaspora.
The leaders of the world’s two largest democracies took the stage together in Houston before a roaring crowd of tens of thousands of Indian Americans, where Modi delivered an unmistakable endorsement of Trump’s presidency and cast their joint appearance in historic terms.
“His name is familiar to every person on the planet,” Modi said as he introduced Trump. “He was a household name and very popular even before he went on to occupy the highest office in this great country. From CEO to commander in chief. From boardrooms to the Oval Office. From studios to global stage.”
The prime minister then repurposed his own campaign slogan in India to rally support for “my friend” Trump in the United States: “Abki baar, Trump sarkar,” meaning, “This time, a Trump country.”
Modi’s overtures come at a delicate moment in U.S.-India relations. After the United States imposed tariffs on Indian steel and aluminum imports, India has been looking for ways to decrease trade tensions with the Trump administration and stimulate fresh investment.
The two leaders — both center-right politicians who govern with big personalities and stir controversy — are set to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week.
Trump swooped into Houston on Sunday with an unusual role: as a warm-up act.
Called “Howdy, Modi!,” the event was staged to honor the prime minister and was billed as the largest gathering for an invited foreign leader other than the Pope. Attendees, many of them from Texas’s large Indian diaspora, packed into NRG Stadium, the 72,000-seat home to the NFL’s Houston Texans. Houston is the nation’s most diverse city and home to an estimated 150,000 Indian Americans.
Modi recently invited Trump to join him here, and the president agreed to be a special guest, but the signage and stagecraft made clear that Modi was the main attraction, with his image projected on large screens throughout the arena.
“In Houston, we say ‘Howdy’ in more than 140 languages — and this morning we are saying ‘Howdy’ to Prime Minister Modi,” Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, a Democrat, told the crowd.The event pulsed with energy all morning, as artists performed Indian dances and played music onstage. Once Trump arrived, live video of him and Modi walking down a red carpet winding through the bowels of the stadium played on the screens as a drum band played in anticipation of their grand entrance. The two strode onto the stage holding hands.
As Trump stood at his side grinning widely, Modi said he admired Trump’s “concern for every American, a belief in America’s future and a strong resolve to make America great again.”
The prime minister added, “We are witnessing history in the making.”
Trump delivered remarks — and, unlike at his own campaign rallies, did not appear to stray from his script on Teleprompters.
The president highlighted his stewardship of the economy, but drew far most impassioned responses from the crowd when he talked about other issues. The president received a standing ovation when he denounced “radical Islamic terrorism,” and sustained applause when he vowed to stop illegal immigration.
He said Modi was doing “a truly exceptional job” as prime minister, and congratulated him on his overwhelming reelection victory in May.
And from Reuters:
U.S. President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared a stage and showered each other with praise on Sunday at a “Howdy, Modi!” rally attended by upward of 50,000 people, a rare mass showing for a foreign leader on American soil.
Trump, calling the gathering a “profoundly historic event,” was greeted with a standing ovation by the Indian-American crowd and his speech was interrupted several times by roars of approval.
The U.S. leader hailed the India-U.S. relationship and the Indian-American community as he reached out to an ethnic group that voted overwhelmingly against him in 2016.
“You uphold our values, you uplift our communities and you are truly proud to be American and we are truly proud to have you as Americans,” Trump the crowd.
Modi began his talk inside the NRG Stadium, home of the Houston Texans football team, with a loud, “Howdy my friends!”
In his remarks delivered in Hindi, Modi said that he was “impatient to take the country to new heights” and that “today the buzz word in India is development.”
The event has given Modi, a nationalist facing international criticism over a recent crackdown in disputed Kashmir, a chance to energize his relationship with Indian-Americans who are active political supporters.
U.S. President Donald Trump and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi participate in the "Howdy Modi" event in Houston, Texas, U.S., September 22, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan ErnstSAMOSAS, NACHOS
Jubilant supporters dressed in everything from ornate saris to simple dhotis and even a few cowboy hats waved American and Indian flags, chanted “Modi! Modi!” and munched on concession stand snacks that included Indian staples of samosas and naan breads - along with nachos.
“Today we celebrate our community and its importance in Houston and all America,” said Ketan Inamdar, who works in the administration of Houston’s Democratic Mayor Sylvester Turner, and painted an American flag on his right cheek and an Indian one on the left.
“Trump is very welcome here today. This event is to build harmony and love,” he said, standing just in front of the dais. “Race, religion and political parties don’t matter today.”
Houston is a rare Democratic stronghold in Republican-dominated Texas and serves as the economic anchor of a state that will be critical to Trump’s 2020 re-election bid. Polls show tepid support by Indian-American voters, some 75% of whom voted for his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, in 2016.
But organizers of the “Howdy, Modi!” event that was kicked off with a 90-minute cultural program featuring 400 costumed dancers, were delighted to welcome Trump.
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