Donald Trump Pledges Full Support to India During Rubio Visit

Donald Trump reaffirmed his close relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and pledged that India could count on the United States 100 percent during a series of diplomatic engagements in May 2026. Through a virtual address for the 250th U.S. Independence Day celebrations at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi and subsequent social media posts, Trump described himself as a "big, big fan" of Modi.

These proclamations coincided with a four-day visit to India by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who traveled to New Delhi, Kolkata, Agra, and Jaipur. During the trip, Rubio personally delivered an invitation from Trump for Modi to visit Washington. In New Delhi, Rubio and Modi discussed energy cooperation, Middle East stability, emerging technologies, and supply chains. Rubio also participated in the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, which resulted in the announcement of the Quad Critical Minerals Framework to diversify mineral markets among the U.S., India, Australia, and Japan.

Rubio also spent the visit managing diplomatic friction caused by a Trump social media post from April that described India as a "hellhole." While the Indian Ministry of External Affairs labeled the remarks inappropriate, Rubio defended the president, initially attributing the comments to social media trolls and bots before emphasizing Trump's admiration for India. U.S. Ambassador Sergio Gor supported these efforts, reporting that the embassy had secured $20.5 billion in new investments into the U.S. and expressing optimism for an upcoming interim trade deal.