 "PM Modi is only 4th foreign leader to meet Trump in second term: Who are the others?")
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House tomorrow (February 14).
Modi is on a high-stakes two-day visit to America.
Modi, who is staying at Blair House in the heart of Washington, will hold bilateral talks with Trump.
Modi will become the fourth world leader to meet Donald Trump since he returned to the Oval Office on January 20.
But which other world leaders met Trump? What did they discuss?
Let’s take a closer look:
Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu became the first world leader to meet Trump after his re-election in January.
Trump and Netanyahu held talks at the White House on February 4.
It was after this meeting that Trump first floated the idea of Palestinians being relocated.
“Gaza is a guarantee that they’re going to end up dying. The same thing is going to happen again,” Trump said, as per Al Jazeera. “It’s happened over and over again. And it’s going to happen again.”
“So I hope we can do something where they wouldn’t want to go back. Who would want to go back? They’ve experienced nothing but death and destruction.”
Trump also proposed that the US take over Gaza.
“We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site,” Trump said as per NPR. “Level the site, and get rid of the destroyed buildings. Level it out, create an economic development.”
“ I do see a long-term ownership position, and I see it bringing great stability to that part of the Middle East and maybe the entire Middle East,” Trump added.
“This was not a decision made lightly. Everybody I’ve spoken to loves the idea of the United States owning that piece of land, developing and creating thousands of jobs.”
Trump suggested that the Palestinian people be resettled outside Gaza.
“I think Jordan and Egypt – they say they’re not going to accept, but I say they will. But I think other countries will accept also,” Trump said.
Asked who would live there, Trump told CBS, ““I envision world people living there, the world’s people.”
“Representatives from all over the world, Palestinians, also,” Trump added.
He said Gaza would be “the Riviera of the Middle East.”
Netanyahu also backed Trump’s proposal.
“I think it’s something that could change history. And I think it’s worthwhile really pursuing,” Netanyahu said.
Trump in a press conference after the meeting reiterated the relationship between the US and Israel.
“The bonds of friendship and affection between the American and Israeli people have endured for generations, and they are absolutely unbreakable,” Trump said.
“You are the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House,” Netanyahu replied.
CNN reported that Netanyahu gifted Trump a golden pager during his visit – a reference to Israel’s September operation targeting Hezbollah.
Trump responded by gifting a Netanyahu an signed photograph of the two men.
The photo was inscribed, “To Bibi, A great leader!”
However, Trump’s proposal didn’t seem to find any takers in West Asia.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Egypt both rejected Trump’s proposal out of hand.
Saudi Arabia, a pivotal US ally in the Middle East, said it would not establish ties with Israel without the creation of a Palestinian state, contradicting Trump’s claim that Riyadh was not demanding a Palestinian homeland.
The Kingdom’s foreign ministry said Saudi Arabia rejected any attempts to remove Palestinians from their land and said Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had affirmed this position in “a clear and explicit manner.”
An official from the Palestinian militant group Hamas called Trump’s proposal “ridiculous and absurd.” Hamas ruled the Gaza Strip before the war there, which was triggered by its October 7, 2023, cross-border attack on Israel in which 1,200 people were killed and 250 abducted, according to Israeli tallies.
“Any ideas of this kind are capable of igniting the region,” Sami Abu Zuhri said.
Shinjiro Ishiba
The next foreign leader to come calling on Trump was Japan’s Shinjiro Ishiba .
Ishiba met Trump on February 7 – just days after Netanyahu’s visit.
As per BBC, Ishiba and Trump vowed to bring in a “golden-era” of relations between their two nations.
Ishiba said Japan and US would rebalance trade relations.
He said Japan would invest $1 trillion in the US through Japanese car makers and imports of US liquified natural gas (LNG).
“We’ve opened the sale of LNG immediately … Japan in particular, we’re very happy that they’re going to start immediately,” Trump said.
Trump said Nippon would “heavily invest” in US steel – without acquiring a majority.
Trump said he would “mediate and arbitrate” as the companies negotiate the investment. The US president mistakenly referred to Nippon Steel as “Nissan,” the Japanese automaker.
Trump said Nippon was now looking at an “investment not a purchase,” and added, “I’m okay with that, sure.”
This came after Trump pressed Ishiba to close Japan’s $68.5 billion annual trade surplus with Washington.
“I think it will be very easy for Japan,” Trump said at start of his Oval Office meeting with Ishiba. “We have a fantastic relationship. I don’t think we’ll have any problem. They want fairness also.”
Former president Joe Biden had blocked the takeover deal on grounds of national security.
Ishiba, who was making a whirlwind trip to Washington to get face time with Trump, said he understands that Trump’s goal is mutually beneficial trade policy.
But the prime minister also noted Japanese companies have held the top spot for cumulative foreign direct investment in the US over the last five years. He added that Japan was looking to invest more in the United States.
Ishiba later told Japanese broadcaster NHK that he explained to Trump how many Japanese automakers were creating jobs in the United States.
He said Trump had “recognised” Japan’s huge investment in the U.S. and the American jobs that it creates.
Ishiba said the two men did not specifically discuss auto tariffs.
As per Japan Times, the two men also discussed cybersecurity, increased cooperation in space and joint business opportunities in AI, quantum computing and semiconductors.
The two men also discussed China particularly “peace and stability” across the Taiwan Strait.
The US and Japan released a joint statement after the visit.
“The United States underscored its unwavering commitment to the defense of Japan, using its full range of capabilities, including nuclear capabilities,” the joint statement read.
The statement noted China’s “threatening and provocative activities in the South China Sea.”
As per Japan Times, Trump at a press conference following the meeting said, “After our meeting today, I’m confident that the cherished alliance between our two countries and others also will continue to flourish long into the future," Trump told the joint news conference.
“The United States is totally committed to the security of Japan,” Trump added. “We will extend the full strength of American deterrence capabilities and defence of our friend and ally 100 per cent in the years to come.”
Ishiba showered praise on Trump.
“It is not only among politicians, but also among the general public as well as business leaders,” Ishiba told Trump during the meet. “There are many that were anxiously awaiting your comeback.”
“On television, he is very frightening,” he told reporters after the meet, as per BBC. “But when I met him, he was very sincere, very powerful and strong willed.”
Like Netanyahu, Ishiba brought a gift for Trump – a golden Samurai helmet valued at around $1,100 (Rs 97,000).
King Abullah II
Trump then met King Abdullah II of Jordan on February 11.
Abdullah thus became the first leader from the Arab world to meet with Trump in his second term.
Trump welcomed Abdullah and Crown Prince Hussein at the entrance to the West Wing, and gestured toward the king calling him a “great man.”
Trump, during his meeting with King Abdullah, reiterated his controversial Gaza plan.
“We’re going to take it. We’re going to hold it. We’re going to cherish it. We’re going to get it going eventually where a lot of jobs are going to be created for the people in the Middle East,” Trump said, as per Al Jazeera.
“I’ve had a great career in real estate,” Trump added. “When you’ve done what I’ve done, you can just do more good for people when you’re president.”
Trump tried to sell Abdullah on his proposal.
“This is not a complex thing to accomplish,” Trump told Abdullah as per JPost. “And with the United States controlling that piece of land—a rather large piece of land—you will have stability in the Middle East for the first time.”
“It’s a death trap,” Trump, referring to Gaza, said. “They are living in hell.”
“I think it could be a diamond,” Trump said, as per BBC.
“We’re moving them to a beautiful location where they can have new homes, where they can live safely, where they can have doctors and medical and all of those things,” he added.
“I believe we’ll have a parcel of land in Jordan. I believe we’ll have a parcel of land in Egypt,” Trump said. “We may have someplace else, but I think when we finish our talks, we’ll have a place where they’re going to live very happily and very safely.”
Abdullah did not seem enamoured with the plan – though he did not directly contradict Trump.
“I think we have to remember, there is a plan from Egypt and the Arab states,” Abdullah responded. “I think the point is, how do we make this work in a way that is good for everyone?” Later, he added, “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”
“I must consider the best interests of my country,” Abdullah said.
Trump, referring the hostage deal, also threatened Hamas during the meet.
“I don’t think they’re going to make the deadline, personally,” Trump said. “They want to play tough guy. We’ll see how tough they are.”
“They either have them out by Saturday at 12 o’clock or all bets are off.”
As per Times of Israel, Trump asked King Abdullah to help Hamas ‘understand the severity of the situation.’
As per Jerusalem Post, Abdullah announced Jordan would take in 2,000 sick Palestinian children for medical treatment.
As per Bloomberg, Trump called it a ‘beautiful gesture.’
“We contribute a lot of money to Jordan and to Egypt, by the way, a lot to both. But I don’t have to threaten that. I think we’re above that,” Trump added.
Abdullah, after the meet, posted on X, “I stressed that my foremost commitment is to Jordan, to its stability and to the well-being of Jordanians.
“I reiterated Jordan’s steadfast position against the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. This is the unified Arab position.”
With inputs from agencies
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