'Trump admin, Indian govt set to take nations to 'new highs': WH Spokesperson Kush Desai
By By Reena Bhardwaj, Washington DC, May 27
White House Spokesperson Kush Desai reaffirmed US President Donald Trump's priority to the strategic partnership with India, mentioning the phone call moment with US Ambassador Sergio Gor and underlining the importance of US State Secretary Marco Rubio's four-day visit to India.
Speaking with ANI, Desai said that the Trump administration and the Indian government are set to take the two countries to new highs.
"President Trump has consistently underscored his support for America's strategic partnership with India, including on speaker phone with Ambassador Gor just days ago during an America 250 celebration in New Delhi," he told ANI.
Desai was referring to the direct moment of diplomacy when Sergio Gor placed his telephone against a microphone during grand celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of America's independence, allowing the gathered dignitaries to hear Trump's live address.
"I just want to say hello to everybody. I love the Prime Minister. (Narendra) Modi is great, he is my friend, and I just want to say a very good evening to everybody," Trump said during the call, reiterating, "I am a big, big fan of Prime Minister Modi."
Kush Desai also said that Marco Rubio's "landmark" visit to India was built on Trump's push to "expand bilateral ties and cooperation. Noting the outcome of the visit, he mentioned that PM Modi and Trump have a "close friendship", which is focused on both countries' growth.
"Secretary Rubio's landmark visit to India built on the President's push to expand bilateral ties and cooperation on trade and national security, including with the signing of a historic MOU on critical minerals. President Trump and Prime Minister Modi have a close friendship, and under their leadership, the Trump administration and the Indian government are set to take our two countries to new highs," he said.
During Rubio's visit, India and the US signed a bilateral Critical Minerals Framework, marking a milestone in the strategic partnership between the two nations to ensure that the foundational elements required for advanced technology and energy are available within trusted networks.
This agreement builds upon the foundational groundwork laid in February 2026 during high-level meetings in Washington, DC, where Secretary of State Marco Rubio launched the Forum on Resource Geostrategic Engagement (FORGE), the official statement from the US Embassy said.
It further noted that through this framework, India and the United States will engage in international efforts to protect sensitive supply chains from coercive market practices and reduce our collective vulnerability to single-source monopolies.
The statement added, "The U.S. Government is mobilising unprecedented resources to secure critical mineral supply chains, supporting projects with more than $30 billion in letters of interest, investments, loans, and other support in partnership with the private sector. These investments, along with Pax Silica and our reinvigorated diplomatic and commercial engagement, are having a multiplier effect, mobilising private capital many times greater than government outlays, which will generate billions of dollars in new projects to secure our supply chains. These coordinated efforts span domestic and international projects, strengthening U.S. national security and economic competitiveness."
Earlier, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor, in a post on X, summarised the success of Rubio's visit to India.
"It was an absolute honour to host my friend Marco Rubio in India for the past four days! We held productive meetings with Prime Minister Modi, External Affairs Minister Dr. Jaishankar, and NSA Doval. We traveled through New Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur, celebrated America's 250th birthday, and capped the visit with a highly successful Quad meeting. America's foreign policy is in outstanding hands with Secretary Marco Rubio at the helm!" he said.
— ANI
Reader Comments
The focus on critical minerals is very smart. With China dominating these supply chains, India and US working together on this is a big deal. $30 billion in investments sounds massive. Hope it translates to jobs and tech transfer for India. Also loved how Trump called Modi his friend on speaker phone! 🇮🇳🇺🇸
Rhetoric aside, I'm cautiously optimistic. The Quad meeting and Rubio's visit to Agra and Jaipur show cultural diplomacy alongside strategic ties. But we've heard similar promises before. Need to see real outcomes on trade deficits and H1B visa issues. Still, any step away from over-dependence on China is welcome.
The America 250 celebrations in Delhi with Trump on speaker phone is such a power move! 😂 Can you imagine the vibe there? And Gor putting the phone against the mic - that's diplomacy plus showmanship. Hope these personal bonds between leaders translate into better tech collaboration for our startups.
Good to see a desi-origin guy like Kush Desai as WH spokesperson! Makes us proud. On the policy front, I hope this critical minerals pact doesn't just mean India becomes a source of raw materials but also gets to process and manufacture here. "New highs" should mean mutual respect, not just US interests.
The Quad meeting, critical minerals MOU, and $30 billion in support - numbers are impressive. But as a student of international relations, I worry about India getting too tied to US geopolitics. We need to maintain our strategic autonomy. That said, tech cooperation for green energy and semiconductors is very welcome.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.