Reuters, Washington
US President Donald Trump yesterday departed on quick trip to India, where he is to see crowds so large that they will make the much ballyhooed turnout for his campaign rallies pale in comparison.
With a travel time of 17 hours, Trump and his wife, Melania, were headed first to Germany for a refueling stop at Ramstein military base before heading on to Ahmedabad, India, which is Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's hometown.
There, hundreds of thousands of people are expected to gather to greet Trump today for a road show leading to a rally in a cricket stadium with a capacity of over 100,000.
It will be a larger version of the "Howdy Modi" rally that they jointly appeared at in Houston to a jubilant crowd of 50,000 Indian Americans last year.
After addressing the stadium crowd, Trump and his entourage will travel to Agra for a picturesque to visit the Taj Mahal. Then it will be on to New Delhi, where he and Modi are to have a day of talks and attend an evening banquet on Tuesday. The Trumps get back to Washington on Wednesday.
US officials say Trump will raise the sensitive subject of religious freedom during his meetings.
Modi's government has faced protests at home and criticism abroad for enacting a citizenship law that is seen as discriminating against Muslims.
US President Donald Trump yesterday departed on quick trip to India, where he is to see crowds so large that they will make the much ballyhooed turnout for his campaign rallies pale in comparison.
With a travel time of 17 hours, Trump and his wife, Melania, were headed first to Germany for a refueling stop at Ramstein military base before heading on to Ahmedabad, India, which is Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's hometown.
There, hundreds of thousands of people are expected to gather to greet Trump today for a road show leading to a rally in a cricket stadium with a capacity of over 100,000.
It will be a larger version of the "Howdy Modi" rally that they jointly appeared at in Houston to a jubilant crowd of 50,000 Indian Americans last year.
After addressing the stadium crowd, Trump and his entourage will travel to Agra for a picturesque to visit the Taj Mahal. Then it will be on to New Delhi, where he and Modi are to have a day of talks and attend an evening banquet on Tuesday. The Trumps get back to Washington on Wednesday.
US officials say Trump will raise the sensitive subject of religious freedom during his meetings.
Modi's government has faced protests at home and criticism abroad for enacting a citizenship law that is seen as discriminating against Muslims.