Terming India as a “key strategic ally”, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has promised that if voted to power India and the US would become “best friends” and have a “phenomenal future” together.
“India’s is the world’s largest democracy and is a natural ally of the US. Under a Trump Administration, we are going to become even better friends, in fact I would take the term better out and we would be best friends,” Trump, 70, told a cheering crowd of Indian-Americans at a charity event organised by the Republican Hindu Coalition yesterday.
“We are for free trade. We will have good trade deals with other countries. We are going to do a lot of business with India. We are going to have a phenomenal future together,” he said.
He praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking India on a fast track growth with a series of economic reforms and reforming bureaucracy, saying it was required in the US too.
“I look forward to working with Prime Minister Modi who has been very energetic in reforming the economy and bureaucracy. Great man. I applaud him,” Trump said.
It was for the first time a US presidential candidate attended an Indian-American event this election season.
“I am a big fan of Hindu and I am a big fan of India. If elected, the Indian and Hindu community would have a true friend at the White House,” Trump said at the event organised for the Kashmiri Pundits and Bangladeshi Hindu terrorist victims.
