Donald Trump Gifts PM Modi Signed Book As US-India Ties Strengthen

US President Donald Trump on Thursday gifted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi a signed copy of 'Our Journey Together. The book', which features photos from Howdy Modi and Namaste Trump, includes a personalized message from Trump: "Mr. Prime Minister, you are great."

Among the collection of images is a notable snapshot from Trump's historic 2020 visit to India, where he toured the Taj Mahal.

The exchange took place in the Oval Office before the two leaders proceeded to their high-level discussions. Speaking to reporters, Trump spoke about the deep bond between the US and India, stating, "We have great unity and great friendship-both between us as leaders and between our countries. I believe our ties will only grow stronger."

During the joint press conference, Trump reiterated that his administration had done an outstanding job for the American people, contrasting it with what he described as a "terrible" term under former US President Joe Biden. When asked about trade relations with India and competition with China, Trump asserted, "We are in a very great shape to beat anybody we want. But, we are not looking to beat anybody, we are looking to do a really good job. We have done a fantastic job for the American people.

We had a great 4 years and we were interrupted by a terrible administration. Terrible, they did not know what they were doing. Now, we are putting it back together. I think it is going to end up being much stronger than it was before or even much stronger than it was before."

Trump also praised Modi's leadership, calling him a "great friend for a long time." He highlighted India's growing energy demands and revealed that a key agenda of their talks would be oil and gas trade, with India set to purchase significant amounts of US energy. "We have more oil and gas than any other country, and they need it. We are also going to discuss trade and other major topics," he added.

The meeting saw participation from top Indian officials, including External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, and India's Ambassador to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino shared a behind-the-scenes photo of the leaders on social media, marking Modi's arrival at the West Wing.

Notably, Modi is among the first world leaders to visit the US since Trump's inauguration as the 47th President on January 20, 2025.