Trade talks with Modi, visit to Taj Mahal and more… What’s on JD Vance’s agenda during 4-day India visit?

India is about to host a special guest starting today (April 21). After completing his visit to Italy, United States Vice President JD Vance is making his way to India, along with his wife, Usha, and their three children — Ewan, Vivek and Mirabel. The US Second Family will be in India until April 24 during which they will meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and even travel to Jaipur and Agra.

The timing of Vance’s visit to India is significant — it comes at a time when the US is in the midst of a trade war with China and Washington’s global economic alliances are shaky.

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JD Vance in India: Meeting with PM Modi at 6.30 pm, bilateral trade talks in focus Watch | JD Vance arrives in India, gets ceremonial guard of honour

#WATCH | Delhi: Vice President of the United States, JD Vance, Second Lady Usha Vance, along with their children welcomed at Palam airport.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw received the Vice President. pic.twitter.com/ocXCXOdmgQ

— ANI (@ANI) April 21, 2025

Notably, India is rolling out the red carpet for the Vances, as the nation receives an American vice president for the first time in more than a decade.

So, what’s on the agenda for the Vances? What does their itinerary look like? What has India planned for the US vice president?

Grand welcome awaits JD Vance and family

After his Italy visit , Vance and family boarded the Air Force Two aircraft at Rome Ciampino Airport on Sunday and is expected to land at Air Force Station, Palam at 10 am on Monday (April 21). Besides his family — wife, Usha , and children, Ewan, Vivek and Mirabel — Vance is expected to be accompanied by at least five senior officials, including from the Pentagon and the State Department.

Vance will be given an official guard of honour at the airport.

#WATCH | Delhi: Hoardings of US Vice President JD Vance, put up near Palam airport and Chanakyapuri area, ahead of his arrival on 21st April

US Vice President JD Vance will be on his first official visit to India from 21 to 24 April. He will be accompanied by Second Lady Usha… pic.twitter.com/9G9fmsEYbr

— ANI (@ANI) April 20, 2025

Hours after arriving in Delhi, where they will be put up at the ITC Maurya Sheraton hotel, Vance and his family are expected to visit the Swaminarayan Akshardham temple in the Capital, and may visit a shopping complex selling traditional hand-crafted goods.

Security has been stepped up across the national capital in view of JD Vance and Indian-origin Second Lady Usha’s visit to the country. According to a senior police official, “We have already conducted mock drills according to the security protocol for the high level visit of the US vice president. Security has been tightened across different areas of Delhi to ensure that everything goes smoothly and no untoward incident happens during the visit.”

Moreover, several traffic diversions have been ordered in and around the Capital to ensure the smooth movement of the Vances.

Getting down to business with PM Modi

US Vice President JD Vance is expected to hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi this evening at the PM’s residence — 7 Lok Kalyan Marg.

It has been reported that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar may meet Vance earlier in the day, but the Ministry of External Affairs has not provided any details so far. There is no scheduled call-on by Vance on Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar either, sources told The Hindu.

In his talks with PM Modi — scheduled to begin at 6.30 pm — US Vice President JD Vance is expected to discuss the finalisation of the proposed India-US bilateral trade agreement as well as ways to boost the overall trajectory of the ties between the two countries.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Indian Ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra are expected to be part of the Indian team to be led by Modi, sources said.

The bilateral trade deal is of significance to both countries. The US is India’s top trading partner, with two-way trade surpassing $190 billion. However, there’s been a blip in trading ties as Trump announced a 26 per cent reciprocal tariff on Indian goods as part of his April 2 ‘ Liberation Day’ tariff announcement.

The trade agreement is seen as a win-win for both sides: New Delhi is seeking favourable terms for its exports, while Washington is seeking greater market access for its agricultural and dairy products.

Alluding to the importance of the deal, the White House had said earlier, “The VP will discuss shared economic and geopolitical priorities with leaders in each country.”

However, apart from the trade deal, it has been reported that PM Modi will also raise the issue of revocation of student and H-1B visas to Indian nationals. In recent times, US immigration officials have been aggressively targeting international students, including those from India.

The Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had previously said the government was “very positive” that Vance’s visit would “further boost” ties and promised “all relevant issues” would be discussed.

Following the talks, PM Modi will host JD Vance and his family for dinner.

Vances to be dazzled by culture in Jaipur and Agra

People in the know have said that once his engagements in Delhi are completed, the US vice president, his wife and children will travel to Jaipur where they will be put up at Rambagh Palace, a luxury hotel that once served as a royal guesthouse.

On April 22, the Vances will begin their second leg of the India visit with a visit to Amer Fort, also known as Amber Fort, a Unesco World Heritage Site. According to a Moneycontrol report, the US Second Family will be welcomed Suraj Pol Gate by two decorated elephants, ‘Chanda’ and ‘Pushpa’.

The US vice president will then be adorned with Jodhpuri safas and will be treated to folk performances, puppet shows, traditional attire, and regional cuisine during the two-and-a-half-hour tour.

Later in the day, US Vice President Vance will deliver the keynote address at the US-India Business Summit at the Rajasthan International Centre.

Once the Jaipur leg of his visit is complete, the Vances will move to Agra on April 23 where they will visit the Taj Mahal — one of the seven wonders of the world. The US vice president and family are likely to spend nearly three hours at the monument followed up by a trip to Shilpgram, an open-air emporium where they will experience and purchase traditional Indian artefacts, further enriching their understanding of India’s artistic heritage.

The Vances’ visit will conclude on April 24 at 6.40 am, after which they will return to the US.

Significance of Vance’s India visit

JD Vance’s visit to India is a first by a US vice president since 2013 when Joe Biden, who served as VP, visited the nation. His trip to the country assumes even greater significance as it takes place against the backdrop of a global trade war that President Donald Trump has sparked.

Moreover, it comes at a time when Chinese President Xi Jinping has been on a Southeast Asian tour to promote Beijing as a steadier and more dependable ally than Washington.

But this visit is also an attempt by the Trump administration to exert its soft diplomacy owing to Vance’s connection to India, courtesy of his wife, Usha. The Vance family visit is likely to showcase the importance of India-US ties at a time when the US is embracing a more assertive stance on the world stage, Milan Vaishnav, director of the South Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told Bloomberg. “There is a feeling of pride in India of the Indian-American diaspora,” Vaishnav said. “There will be a feeling of homecoming.”

With inputs from agencies