Full text of PM's introduction of Donald Trump at 'Howdy, Modi' event: US president a very special person and a true friend of India, says Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday introduced US president Donald Trump to the Indian-Americans at the mega ‘Howdy, Modi’ event in Houston, Texas, as a very “special person” whose presence at the event signals India has a true friend at the White House.  Addressing over 50,000 Indian-Americans at the NRG stadium, Modi said it was honour and privilege for him to welcome Trump in this magnificent stadium and magnificent gathering.  [caption id=“attachment_7384701” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US president Donald Trump at the ‘Howdy, Modi’ rally. PTI[/caption] Here is the full text of the introduction by the Ministry of External Affairs : Good morning Houston, Good morning Texas, Good morning America, Greetings to my fellow Indians in India and around the world. Friends, This morning we have a very special person with us. He needs no introduction. His name is familiar to every person on the planet. His names comes up in almost every conversation in the world on global politics. His every word is followed by tens of millions. He was a household name and very popular even before he won on to occupy the highest office in this great country. From CEO to Commander-in-Chief, from boardroom to the Oval Office, from studios to global stage, from politics to the economy and to security he has left a deep and lasting impact everywhere. Today he is here with us. It is my honor and privilege to welcome here in this magnificent stadium and magnificent gathering. And I can say I had a chance to meet him often and every time I found the friendliness, warmth, energy, the President of the United States of America – Mr. Donald Trump. This is extraordinary, this is unprecedented. Friends, As I told you we have met a few times and every time he has been the same warm, friendly, accessible, energetic and full of wit. I admire him for something more. His sense of leadership, a passion for America, a concern for every American, a belief in American future and a strong resolve to Make America Great Again. And he has already made the American economy strong again. He has achieved much for the United States and for the world. Friends, We in India have connected well with President Trump. The words of candidate Trump – Abki Baar Trump Sarkar rang loud and clear and his celebration in the White House lit up millions of faces with joy and appreciation. When I met him for the first time he said to me, ‘India has true friend in White House.’ Your presence here today is great testimony to that. In these years our two nations have taken the relationships to new heights. Mr. President this morning in Houston, you can hear the heartbeat of this great partnership in this celebration of the world’s two largest democracies. You can feel the strength and depth of human bonds between our two great nations. People are at the heart of all relationships from Houston to Hyderabad, from Boston to Bengaluru, from Chicago to Shimla, from Los Angeles to Ludhiana, from New Jersey to New Delhi. Hundreds of millions are glued to their TV even though it is rather late on a Sunday night in India millions around the world, in different time zones are with us today. They are witnessing history in the making. Mr. President, you had introduced me to your family in 2017 and today I have the honor to introduce you to my family, over a billion Indians and people of Indian heritage around the globe. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you my friend, a friend of India, a great American President Mr. Donald Trump.

The full text has been reproduced from website of Ministry of External Affairs and has not been edited by Firstpost for style and clarity.