Washington, May 26:
President Donald Trump is a big fan of India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday, seeking to dismiss allegations of rising anti-India rhetoric in the US.
The top diplomat’s remarks on Monday came against the backdrop of a swirling controversy after the video of his response to a reporter’s question on Sunday on instances of alleged racism towards Indians in the US went viral.
Though the reporter did not clarify, many saw his question as a reference to Trump’s remarks referring to India along with China as a “hellhole” appearing to accuse people from the two countries of abusing America’s birthright citizenship.
The US Secretary of State is currently on a four-day trip to India that is aimed at recalibrating the bilateral relations that have faced headwinds since mid-last year.
“The President is a big fan of India, a big fan of Prime Minister Modi. I wouldn’t be here if the President didn’t want me to be here. He wouldn’t have sent someone like Sergio (Gor) to be our ambassador, someone who’s very close to the President,” Rubio said.
Rubio said this when a journalist this morning asked about the controversy and suggested that perhaps the reporter on Sunday was referring to President Trump’s controversial comments against Indians.