A White House visit discussed on Trump-Modi phone call

A White House visit for Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the issues discussed during a phone call between him and President Donald Trump.

The White House released a readout stating that the two leaders also discussed security in the Indo-Pacific, West Asia, and Europe, as well as the Quad, a group formed by India, the US, Japan, and Australia, during their phone conversation on Monday.

The readout also mentioned that Trump stressed the need for India to purchase more security equipment from the US and work towards a fair bilateral trading relationship.

PM Modi had earlier mentioned in a post on X that he had spoken with his “dear friend President @realDonaldTrump @POTUS” and congratulated him on his historic second term. Modi added, “We are committed to a mutually beneficial and trusted partnership. We will work together for the welfare of our people and towards global peace, prosperity, and security.”

The White House followed up a few hours later, stating that the call was “productive” and that the two leaders discussed expanding and deepening cooperation. They also addressed regional issues such as security in the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East, and Europe. Trump emphasized the importance of India increasing its procurement of American-made security equipment and moving toward a fair trade relationship.

The readout further noted, “The leaders discussed plans for Prime Minister Modi to visit the White House, underscoring the strength of the friendship and strategic ties between our nations. Both leaders emphasized their commitment to advancing the U.S.-India strategic partnership and the Indo-Pacific Quad partnership, with India hosting Quad Leaders for the first time later this year.”

There have been reports of officials from both countries discussing a White House visit for PM Modi in February, but no official announcements have been made. The readout indicates that a visit is likely, though no specific details were provided.

The two leaders are expected to meet in person later this year, likely when President Trump travels to India for a summit of the Quad countries. This phone call was the second between the two leaders since Trump’s re-election; the first took place shortly after his victory in November 2024.

The personal relationship between Trump and Modi has been close since Trump’s first term from 2017 to 2021. In 2019, President Trump addressed a rally in Houston for Prime Minister Modi, known as the “Howdy Modi” rally, and later traveled to India in February 2020 for the “Namaste Trump” event in Modi’s home state of Gujarat.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar represented PM Modi at Trump’s inauguration last week and attended related events, including a prayer service where notable guests such as Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, and Sundar Pichai were present. Jaishankar also became the first foreign guest to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio for a bilateral discussion following a meeting of the Quad foreign ministers.