President Trump is about to get the biggest rally of his presidency – but it won’t be in the United States.
Trump’s first state visit to India this week will be packed with pomp and parades, starting with Monday’s 14-mile motorcade through Ahmedabad in the state of Gujarat, the stronghold of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has promised to cram the route with throngs of supporters.
Then the two will hold a 100,000-person rally at Motera Stadium, the city’s brand-new cricket grounds – the world’s largest.
The president and First Lady Melania Trump will visit the Taj Mahal that evening, then travel to New Delhi for a day of ceremonial meetings, capped by a state dinner at Rashtrapati Bhavan, the presidential palace, administration officials said.
India, with a population of 1.3 billion, is the world’s largest democracy – and Trump has sought to establish warm ties with Modi, who shares his populist leanings. He appeared with Modi at a Texas rally in September that drew 50,000 Indian-Americans.
But the Trump administration has struggled to negotiate a new US-India trade deal, as Modi has dug into a protectionist stance that has slowed American exports into its surging consumer market.
Instead of finalizing a sweeping agreement during his two-day trip, Trump is expected to announce a deal to sell $3.5 billion worth of helicopters and other defense equipment to India’s military.
“The President is going to India as a demonstration of the strong and enduring ties between our two countries,” the White House said.