PM Modi praises Trump’s resilience, draws parallels between ‘India First’ and ‘America First’ ideologies

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a podcast with AI researcher Lex Fridman, appreciated US President Donald Trump’s unshakeable dedication to his country, particularly in the wake of assassination attempts last year.

Recalling Trump’s resilience and determination during campaigning for US elections, even after being shot, he said, “When he was shot during the recent campaign, I saw the same resilient and determined President Trump, the one who walked hand-in-hand with me in that stadium. Even after being shot, he remained unwaveringly dedicated to America. His life was for his nation.”

He also drew parallels between Trump’s “America First” ideology and his own “India First” approach, highlighting their shared commitment to prioritizing their nations’ interests. This alignment has fostered a strong connection between the two leaders.

“His reflection showed his America First spirit, just as I believe in Nation First. I stand for India first and that’s why we connect so well. These are the things that truly resonate. And I believe that across the world politicians are covered so much by the media that people mostly perceive each other through its lens. People rarely get the chance to truly meet or personally know one another and perhaps third-party intervention is the real cause of tensions”, he added.

Prime Minister Modi on Donald Trump:

Donald Trump has courage. We have a strong bond. During his recent assassination attempt, even after being shot, he remained unwaveringly dedicated to America. His life was for his nation. His reflection showed his America first spirit. pic.twitter.com/Gg7PLKL7nH

— DogeDesigner (@cb_doge) March 16, 2025

Recalling their memorable meeting at the ‘Howdy Modi’ event in Houston in 2019, Modi praised Trump’s humility and courage, noting that the then-President of the United States sat in the audience while he spoke from the stage.

“We had an event in Houston, ‘Howdy Modi’. Both President Trump and I were there and the entire stadium was completely packed. A massive crowd at an event in the US is a huge moment. While packed stadiums are common in sports, this was extraordinary for a political rally…Both of us delivered speeches and he sat down below listening to me speak. Now, that’s his humility. The President of the United States sitting in the audience while I spoke from the stage, that was a remarkable gesture on his part”, he said.

After finishing his speech, PM Modi suggested taking a lap around the stadium to greet the large crowd of Indian diaspora. courage. Despite strict security protocols, Trump agreed to take a lap around the stadium with Modi, demonstrating their mutual trust and respect.

“After finishing my speech, I stepped down and as we all know, security in the US is extremely strict and thorough. The level of scrutiny there is on a completely different level. I went over to thank him and casually said, “If you don’t mind, why don’t we take a lap around the stadium? There are so many people here. Let’s walk, wave and greet them.” In American life, it’s almost impossible for the President to walk into a crowd of thousands, but without even a moment’s hesitation, he agreed and started walking with me,” he added.

PM Modi described the moment as “truly touching,” adding that “It showed me that this man had courage. He makes his own decisions, but also he trusted me and my lead at that moment enough to have walked with me into the crowd”. “It was that sense of mutual trust, a strong bond between us that I truly witnessed on that day,” PM Modi added “and the way I saw President Trump that day walking into a crowd of thousands without even asking security, it was truly amazing. And if you watch the video now, you’ll be amazed”.

Highlighting his first White House visit, when Trump broke formal protocols and personally gave PM Modi a tour, he said, “When I visited him in the White House for the first time, there was already a lot written about President Trump in the media. At that time, he was still new to office and the world had a rather different perception of him. Even though I had been briefed in many different ways before meeting him, to my surprise, the very moment I stepped into the White House, he broke all formal protocols right away. And then, he took me on a tour of the White House. As he showed me around, I noticed something striking, he wasn’t holding any notes or cue cards, nor was anyone accompanying him to assist.”

“He pointed things out himself. This is where Abraham Lincoln lived,” he said. “He even explained why the courtroom was designed so long. He would point at the table and tell me which President signed here and on what date. I found that incredibly impressive. It showed how much he honoured the Presidency and how respectful and deeply connected he was to America’s history. I could feel that. And he spoke to me freely, discussing many things openly. That was my experience from our first meeting,” added PM Modi.

PM Modi also appreciated Trump’s kind gestures, including his warm words about their friendship even after his first term ended. “Later, when his first term ended, and President Biden won, four years passed, but during that time whenever someone we both knew met him, and this must have happened dozens of times, he would say, ‘Modi is my friend, convey my regards.’ That kind of gesture is rare. Even though we didn’t meet physically for years, our direct and indirect communication, our closeness and the trust between us remained unshaken,” he said.

In addition, PM Modi praised Trump’s preparedness and clear vision in his second term, observing that he seems “far more prepared than before”. “I have observed President Trump both during his first term and now in his second run. This time, he seems far more prepared than before. He has a clear roadmap in his mind with well-defined steps, each one designed to lead him toward his goals,” he said.

PM Modi also noted that during his recent visit to the United States, he also met with several influential figures, including tech billionaire Elon Musk, US Vice President JD Vance; United States Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and American entrepreneur and politician Vivek Ramaswamy.

He added that his meeting with Elon Musk was particularly warm and friendly, as Musk was accompanied by his family and children. PM Modi has known Musk since his time as chief minister, and their discussion covered a range of topics, including Musk’s exciting new DOGE mission.

“I also had the chance to meet members of his team, and I truly believe he has put together a strong, capable group with such a strong team, I feel they are fully capable of implementing President Trump’s vision based on my interactions with them. I met several people, Tulsi Gabbard, Vivek Ramaswamy, Elon Musk, and there was a family-like atmosphere, everyone had come with their families. As for Elon Musk, I have known him since my time as chief minister. He was there with his family and children, so naturally, the atmosphere felt warm and friendly,” he said.

“Of course, we had discussions and we talked about many different topics. Now, with his DOGE mission, he is incredibly excited about how it’s progressing and honestly, it makes me happy too because when I took office in 2014, I wanted to free my country from the deep-rooted issues and harmful practices that have crept in, and I’ll continue striving to eliminate as many of them as I possibly can,” he added.

As per his official website, Lex Fridman has been a research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) since 2015. His podcasts cover several themes, such as artificial intelligence, global politics, cryptocurrency, productivity, global geopolitics, and technology. His YouTube page has 4.8 million subscribers with over 82,00,00,000 views. (ANI)