U.S. President Donald Trump said he would visit India at some point.
“He [Mr Modi ] wants me to go there. I will be going, at some point, to India,” Mr. Trump said.
In response to a question on a potential trade deal with India, Mr. Trump said India and the U.S. were “dealing with” a lot of things and that the relationship “was very good”.
“We’re dealing with India on a lot of different things. Prime Minister Modi is a very good friend of mine. You saw me at … in Houston. You saw me at the event … 55,000 people. It was great,” Mr. Trump said, adding, “We have a very good relationship with India.”
India and the U.S. have been working on a limited trade package, which was supposed to be announced at the end of September when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Trump held a bilateral meeting along the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session.
Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal had flown into New York at the time for discussions with his counterpart, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, but the two sides were unable to reach an agreement. However, talks continue and the Indian officials have expressed optimism that a trade package can be concluded by year-end.
Reports from New Delhi that Mr. Goyal will meet Mr. Lighthizer on November 13 in Washington DC, were confirmed by a senior Indian diplomat who spoke with The Hindu .
As for Mr. Trump’s travel, The Hindu has learned from a source familiar with the White House, that while the President expressed interest in going to India, come January, domestic issues, particularly the elections, are likely to keep him mostly in the U.S. through the end of 2020.
Elections are, however, not all that are keeping Mr. Trump busy. An impeachment inquiry is currently underway on Capitol Hill and the House part of the process (the impeachment itself) is likely to be concluded by Christmas.
