'Viksit Bharat 2047 means Make India Great Again': PM Modi in joint presser with Trump

While addressing a joint press conference with US President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that his agenda of “Viksit Bharat 2047” means “Make India Great Again.” Modi was giving his twist to Trump’s popular slogan “Make America Great Again”. The Prime Minister is on a two-day visit to the United States, marking his first trip to the country since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House.

At the start of the joint press conference, the prime minister thanked Trump for the “grand welcome and hospitality accorded to him.” He went on to laud the accomplishments India and the US made in strengthening ties during Trump’s first stint in the White House. “The people of America are well aware of MAGA - Make America Great Again. The people of India are also moving towards Viksit Bharat 2047,” the prime minister said at the press briefing.

“In The language of America, it’s Make India Great Again - MIGA. When America and India work together, this MAGA plus MIGA becomes a ‘mega partnership for prosperity’…Today, we have decided to double our trade by 2030,” he added.

Trump & Modi set record straight on Tariff

It is pertinent to note that the meeting between the two leaders took place just hours after Trump announced a new reciprocal tariff policy for all US trading partners, marking another step in his administration’s trade actions. However, during his meeting with the Prime Minister, Trump said that he and Modi had reached an agreement that could make the US the “number one supplier” of oil and gas to India.

He also emphasised that the move aims to reduce the US trade deficit with India, which currently stands at around USD 45 billion. The two leaders also spoke about furthering the defence partnership between India and the United States. “Starting this year, we will be increasing military sales to India by many billions of dollars,” Trump said at the joint press conference with Prime Minister Modi.

This was the first time the two leaders met face to face after Trump won the 2024 US presidential elections. The Indian delegation who were present with the prime minister included External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and India’s Ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra.

The prime minister is among the first few leaders to visit the United States after Trump’s inauguration. Since Trump’s November win, both leaders have spoken twice on the phone. In January, EAM Jaishankar attended the inauguration ceremony of President Donald Trump as PM Modi’s Special Envoy.

During his visit, Jaishankar held talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and participated in the QUAD Foreign Ministers’ meeting in January 2025. Before meeting Trump, the prime minister also held bilateral talks with some of the lawmakers from Trump’s cabinet. The list included US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Indian-origin entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and US Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard.

With inputs from agencies.