Love India, big fan of PM Modi: Trump joins Delhi event via call

India can count on me 100 per cent, US President Donald Trump said on Sunday night, calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi a "great" friend during an event celebrating the 250th anniversary of American independence. The event at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, was graced by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Ambassador Sergio Gor. The highlight of the event was a performance by A R Rahman.  "I just want to say hello to everybody. I love the Prime Minister, (Narendra) Modi is great, he is my friend and I just want to say a very good evening to everybody," Trump said in a phone conversation with Gor. "I am a big, big fan of Prime Minister Modi," he said. Trump also claimed that the US economy was doing well. "We're doing well, we’re setting records. We've a record economy, a record stock market," he said. The US ambassador held his phone to a microphone for the audience to hear Trump's remarks.

President Trump called me tonight. He had a clear message: “???? ???????????????? ???????????????????? ???????????????????????????????? ????????????????. ????????’???????? ???????????????????? ???????????????? ???????????????????????? ???????? ????????????????????. ????’???? ???? ????????????, ???????????? ???????????? ???????? ???????????????????? ???????????????????????????????? ????????????????…” pic.twitter.com/jJBLhKdZhL

— Ambassador Sergio Gor (@USAmbIndia) May 24, 2026

Addressing the gathering,Jaishankar said the US declaration of independence articulated ideas that shaped the modern world such as individual liberty, rule of law, free speech and accountable governance, and their resonance in India was natural given the country's history as a pluralistic society with a consultative ethos. The experiences of the US independence movement were taken into account by the makers of India's Constitution and the affinities between the two sides have grown with deeper economic and technology ties, Jaishankar said. The shared traits of being political democracies, market economies and open societies have been strengthened by a convergence of national interests and this has enabled the two sides to overcome the "hesitations of history", the external affairs minister said. The Indian diaspora in the US has helped build political understanding between the two countries, he noted.
In his brief address, Rubio described India as a key partner of the US.There was also a celebration of Rubio's birthday and the evening was capped by a performance by the American band Village People.