MUMBAI: US President-elect Donald Trump recently showered praises on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's work during his meeting with his Indian business partners. Trump met Atul Chordia, Sagar Chordia and Kalpesh Mehta at Trump Tower, New York and the discussion mostly revolved around the Indian economy and Modi.
"He was praising Modiji as always and added that he is doing a great job," said Sagar Chordia, director of Panchshil Realty. He added that the new President of the United States expects to strengthen and expand US relationship with India. Trump currently has five luxury projects in the Asian country, including a Trump Tower, a 46-storey apartment block with Panchshil Realty in Pune, and an under-construction 300-apartment project in Mumbai's Lower Parel with Lodha Group. They are not equity joint ventures, the billionaire has lent his name to the projects in return for payment. Mehta said Donald Trump Jr, who was also present at the meeting, expressed satisfaction with the pace of Trump Organisation's India business and showed interest in expanding it further. "We didn't get a chance to talk about currency demonetisation with Trump. But, his kids knew about it and they termed it as an incredibly bold move."
Also, in an informal chat at a dinner hosted by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, Modi had said that he is looking forward to working with Trump and feels that the new administration will be well inclined towards India. He said there was no reason to fear any major change.
Throwing in a wild card as a potential candidate for secretary of state, Trump has tapped South Carolina governor Nikki Haley for the important post in his administration. If he makes it happen, she would become the first person of Indian origin to be a cabinet principal. Haley, 44, was scheduled to meet the president-elect at Trump Towers last week, as confirmed by his transition team. While several names have sprung for the secretary of state post including Rudy Giuliani and John Bolton, picking Haley would be an indication that the businessman will not only convict to pleasing white conservatives who were instrumental in his victory.
Donald issued a video on Tuesday, drafting his policy plans for the first 100 days in office and vowing to issue a note of intent to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership "from day one". In the brief clip, he said that "our transition team is working very smoothly, efficiently, and effectively" as opposed to media reports that talk of chaos with Trump struggling to build a team. He said he was going to issue a note of intent to withdraw from the TPP trade deal, calling it a "potential disaster for our country", and stating that he would instead "negotiate fair bilateral trade deals that bring jobs and industry back." The statement came hours after Japanese Prime Minister Shizo Abe's warning saying the deal would be "meaningless" without US participation. Speaking to an array of reporters, Abe conceded that other TPP countries had not discussed how to rescue the agreement if Trump withdraws.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a 12-nation trade pact that aims to liberalise the flow of goods among countries in the Pacific Rim. The product of more than seven years of negotiations and a signature achievement of Barack Obama's presidency, the TPP would cut tariffs on thousands of items and attempt to unify copyright laws across its members.
“The TPP would be meaningless without the United States,” Abe said, after Japan and other TPP countries had discussed the agreement on the sidelines of the Apec summit in Lima at the weekend.
Meanwhile, Trump confirmed that the soon-to-be first lady Melania Trump won't be shifting to the White House with him. He said his wife and youngest son Barron would move "right after he finishes school." His spokesman Jason Miller has earlier said, "There's obviously a sensitivity to pulling their 10 year old out of school in the middle of a school year. A more formal statement will be coming in the future." Trump, who will be sworn into office on January 20, has been married three times and has five children, plus eight grandchildren. His first marriage with Czech fashion model Ivana Trump in 1977 bore him three children; Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump, and Eric Trump. All three work as the executive vice president of the Trump Organisation. His second marriage with Marla Maples in 1993 bore Tiffany Trump, his youngest daughter who recently graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. His third and current partner Melania, a Slovenian-born model, will become the First Lady of the United States.
Ivanka's husband Jared Kushner has made it to the news following Trump's win as he is believed to be one of the major forces behind the Trump campaign. His first noteworthy political point was the drafting of Trump's address to the America Israel Public Affairs Committee. If speculations are to be believed, Kushner might just be the right heir to Trump's unorthodox reign.
