TOI Correspondent from Washington: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with top Trump aides, including US National Security Advisor Michael Waltz and tech titan Elon Musk, ahead of talks with the US President where the MAGA-fuelled leader is expected to strong-arm India on trade and tariffs despite their personal bonhomie and strategic ties between the two countries aimed at containing China.
Waltz, a former lawmaker and co-chair of the India Caucus on the Hill is a known China hawk, like Trump’s Secretary of State Marco Rubio, but their approach to containing China’s rise with New Delhi’s support does not constrain the US President’s single-minded obsession on trade, where he (Trump) feels India among other countries is taking advantage of the US by selling more than it is buying.
Shortly after the PM’s 30-minute meeting with Waltz, Musk was seen walking from the White House complex towards Blair House, where Modi is staying, accompanied by three of his (Musk’s) children, including the oddly-named “X Æ A-12”– or X for short — who was the cynosure of all eyes in the Oval Office during a Musk-Trump joint presser on Wednesday.
Musk reportedly has a dozen children from three different current and former partners. The two other children were said to be Musk twins, son Strider and daughter Azure, he had with his partner Shivon Zilis, who also accompanied them to the meeting. Zilis, whose mother is Punjabi and father Canadian, served as director of operations and special projects at Neuralink.
While Tesla’ and SpaceX’s potential entry into India were expected to feature in the Modi-Musk talks, the presence of children pointed to a more personal engagement of the kind the Indian PM had with vice-president JD Vance and his family in France earlier this week. Still, Modi is expected to prime Waltz and Musk of the US need to look at the big picture rather than a singular focus on trade, before he meets with Trump at the Oval Office on Thursday evening, followed by a private dinner.
Waltz, a former US Army special forces officer who served in Afghanistan, has long championed closer ties with India with emphasis on defense and security collaboration, but such considerations are secondary to Trump’s obsession with trade and tariffs. Musk on the other hand has close business ties with China and has been leery about bringing his companies to India citing regulatory difficulties.
Modi offered a flavor of his talks with Waltz, posting that he had “fruitful meeting” with the NSA, who has “always been a great friend of India.”
“Defence, technology and security are important aspects of India-USA ties and we had a wonderful discussion around these issues. There is strong potential for cooperation in sectors like AI, semiconductors, space and more,” Modi noted.
In a post shortly after landing in Washington DC too, Modi said he was looking forward to meeting Trump and “building upon the India-USA Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership,” ignoring the noise about trade and tariff.
“Our nations will keep working closely for the benefit of our people and for a better future for our planet,” he said in a post he tagged to @realDonaldTrump
Trump has broadly said that the world needs US more than the US needs the world in a “my way or the highway” approach that Indian side is attempting to temper with concessions and personal touches. While plenty of warm sentiments and sweet talk is on the cards, Indian officials are also bracing for blunt force comments from Trump.