Picture: Indian Prime Minister Modi (left) and US President Trump participated in the "Hello Modi" event on the 22nd/ Online pictures

Comprehensive reports from the New York Times and Reuters: On the 22nd, U.S. President Trump accompanied Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the "Howdy Modi" event organized by the Indian American Association in Houston, Texas. During this period, the two showed off their friendship, revealing that the US-India trade war is expected to be reconciled. In addition, Trump hopes to take the opportunity to win over Indian voters from the Democratic camp, while Modi hopes to use diplomatic achievements to fend off domestic and foreign criticism of his tough approach on the Kashmir issue.

Accompanied by Indian folk music, Trump, who was wearing a dark suit, and Modi, who was wearing a yellow Indian kaftan, entered the venue hand in hand and received warm cheers from the audience of 50,000 people. The two then complimented each other on stage. Modi called Trump "my true friend and the great president of the United States" and said that "everyone on the planet knows his name." Trump called Modi "America's best, most enthusiastic, and most loyal friend." He always rejected immigrants and praised the Indian immigrants present, "The United States is extremely proud to have you."

The event lasted for three hours, and Trump attended for 100 minutes. He did not habitually dominate the event, but was willing to be a green leaf and support Modi. Organizers said it was the largest gathering of Americans to welcome a foreign leader since Pope Francis visited the United States for the first time in 2015.

U.S.-India trade agreement or speedy trade agreement

Trump, who previously criticized India as a country with high tariffs, also changed his previous attitude, saying that U.S. exports to India are growing and praising India for spending billions of dollars on U.S.-made defense equipment and U.S.-India joint military exercises. Some analysts believe that the United States and India will speed up reaching a trade agreement after this event.

The United States will cancel preferential trade treatment for India from June 5, affecting $57 billion worth of Indian goods exported to the United States. As a retaliatory measure, India also imposed substantial tariffs on 28 items including U.S. steel, apples, and almonds. The two sides are trying to reach a trade agreement in which the United States will restore India's special tariff status in exchange for concessions and low tariffs for U.S. products to enter the market, including products such as cherries and pork. With the prospects for Sino-US trade negotiations unclear, Trump has become increasingly active in negotiating US-Japan and US-India agreements in order to accumulate political achievements before the election.

Endorsing India on the Kashmir issue

Trump also announced at this event that the United States and India will sign several defense agreements to strengthen security relations. He earned a standing ovation by stressing that the United States was determined to help protect India from the threat of radical Islamic terrorism.

Trump also openly endorsed Modi’s move to seize the autonomy of the Indian-controlled Kashmir region. He pointed out, “In order to ensure national security, we must protect the border, which is very important to both India and the United States.”

This also embarrassed Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was scheduled to meet with Trump on the 23rd. He once promised to ask leaders of various countries to condemn Modi and intervene in the Kashmir issue at the UN General Assembly meeting, but the outside world has been lukewarm. Trump has openly turned to Modi. Imran Khan is likely to fail.

Modi uses diplomatic show to quell criticism

Some media believe that this event will be beneficial to the leaders of both countries. Modi's visit to the United States has occupied the headlines of major Indian media for several days. He used this successful diplomatic show to fend off domestic criticism of his tough approach on the Kashmir issue. U.S. allies are also expected to refrain from interfering much after Trump publicly sided with Modi.

Trump can also take the opportunity to win over Indian voters, a group of more than 4.4 million people, and there are 300,000 Indians in Houston and nearby Dallas, where the event was held. Although Texas is a traditional Republican vote base, a series of recent polls show that Trump's election situation in Texas is not optimistic, with his support rate falling to 45%. 48% of the people said they would definitely not vote for him, and only 35% were his biggest fans. Therefore, Trump hopes to save the Texas election by courting Indian voters.

However, Indian voters have always supported the Democratic Party. In the 2016 general election, 75% voted for Democratic candidate Hillary, while only 16% voted for Trump. In an online survey after the 2018 midterm elections, only 28% were satisfied with Trump's work, and 66% were dissatisfied. Chaudhry, the Indian-American state senator of North Carolina, believes, "It would be a big mistake if the Republican Party thinks that Trump's meeting with Modi will make us support him. Indian voters hate Trump's anti-immigration rhetoric and policies even more, which runs counter to our development history in the United States.