Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued a statement on Sunday sending prayers to former President Donald Trump and America following a failed attempt to kill the presidential frontrunner on Saturday.
Trump was speaking at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday when shots rang out, hitting Trump in his right ear and striking several attendees in the crowd. At press time, law enforcement officials have confirmed the death of at least one person attending the rally and the shooter, whose identity has not been revealed. Conflicting reports suggest one or two others at the rally were critically injured.
Modi was among the first world leaders to react to the news of the attack on Trump, describing the former president as as a friend and sending well-wishes to the United States.
“Deeply concerned by the attack on my friend, former President Donald Trump. Strongly condemn the incident,” Modi wrote on the social media site Twitter. “Violence has no place in politics and democracies. Wish him speedy recovery. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the deceased, those injured and the American people.”
India is a pivotal American ally and, under Modi, worked to strengthen ties to Washington during the Trump presidency. Trump notably awarded Modi the Legion of Merit in 2020 during one of the final acts of his first presidential term, in celebration of his work to improve the bilateral relationship.
The administration of President Joe Biden has attempted to maintain those friendly ties, welcoming Modi for a state visit in June 2023, but has failed to keep India from forging closer relationships with America’s most prominent threats. A particular point of contention has been the Russian invasion of Ukraine, to which India has largely responded with apathy despite White House pressure to cut ties with Russia.
The Indian government has repeatedly rejected attempts by the Biden administration and the West generally to urge it not to buy cheap Russian oil. This week, Modi visited Moscow for the first time since Russian strongman Vladimir Putin launched his “special operation” against Ukraine — on the same week that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was in Washington for the annual NATO summit.
Modi’s government also signed a decade-long deal to build a massive port in Iran, whose government is the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism, in May, acting counter to American sanctions on the Iranian regime and irritating Washington.
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