President Donald Trump To Attend ‘Howdy Modi’ Event In Houston, PM Hails 'Special Gesture'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has hailed Donald Trump for his 'special gesture' after the US President agreed to appear at the “Howdy, Modi! Shared Dreams, Bright Futures” mega diaspora event in Houston on September 22.

The White House said on Sunday, US President Donald Trump will attend the “Howdy, Modi! Shared Dreams, Bright Futures” mega diaspora event to welcome PM Modi. The event is expected to be gathering of 50,000 people. “Howdy”, short for ‘How do you do?’, is a friendly greeting commonly used in southwestern United States.

PM Modi tweeted, "A special gesture by @POTUS, signifying the special friendship between India and USA! Delighted that President  @realDonaldTrump will join the community programme in Houston on the 22nd. Looking forward to joining the Indian origin community in welcoming him at the programme."

"The special gesture of President @realDonaldTrump to join us in Houston highlights the strength of the relationship and recognition of the contribution of the Indian community to American society and economy. #HowdyModi" he added.

A special gesture by @POTUS, signifying the special friendship between India and USA!

Delighted that President @realDonaldTrump will join the community programme in Houston on the 22nd.

Looking forward to joining the Indian origin community in welcoming him at the programme.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 16, 2019

The special gesture of President @realDonaldTrump to join us in Houston highlights the strength of the relationship and recognition of the contribution of the Indian community to American society and economy. #HowdyModi

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 16, 2019

This is for the first time in recent history that the leaders of the two largest democracies would be addressing a joint rally anywhere in the world.

In a statement, White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said, “It (Modi-Trump joint rally) will be a great opportunity to emphasize the strong ties between the people of the United States and India, to reaffirm the strategic partnership between the world’s oldest and largest democracies, and to discuss ways to deepen their energy and trade relationship.”

This would be the third meeting between the two leaders this year. The previous two were on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in June in Japan and in France in July on the sidelines of the G7 Summit. The first American Hindu Congresswoman and US presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard is expected to be among 60 prominent US lawmakers likely to attend the event.

United States House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, the second-highest democrat in Congress, will also address the event. Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi is also expected to be attending.