Signalling towards the strengthening of bonds between India and the United States, President Donald Trump on February 24 landed in Ahmedabad, marking his first visit to the country since assuming office. Accompanying Trump on his maiden India visit, is his wife and First Lady Melania Trump, daughter Ivanka Trump, son-in-law Jared Kushner and top brass of his administration.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi received the US President at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad and the two world leaders greeted each other with a handshake and a hug.
Trump's itinerary for the 36-hour long India trip includes a joint address with PM Modi at the mega 'Namaste Trump' event at Motera, the largest cricket stadium in the world and a quick stopover at the Taj Mahal in Agra.
With his arrival in India, Trump has now become the seventh US President to have visited the country, which is testament to the strong ties between two of the largest democracies in the world.
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On this historic occasion, here's taking a look back at all the India visits of the previous US Presidents:
1. Dwight D Eisenhower
Dwight D Eisenhower was the first-ever US President to have come to India. He visited the country from December 9 to 14 in 1959, during which he gave a speech at New Delhi's Ramlila Ground and also addressed both Houses of Parliament. The main purpose of Eisenhower's visit was to symbolize a common quest for peace, which resonated well with India. Jawaharlal Nehru was the Prime Minister back then.
Richard Nixon
The second US President to visit India was Richard Nixon. His trip to the country was a part of his multi-nation Asian tour in 1969. Nixon stayed in India for less than 24 hours and met Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to curb distrust and promote peace between the two nations. However, tensions escalated between India and the US when Nixon sided with Pakistan during the 1971 Bangladesh War.
Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter visited India from January 1 to 3 in 1978 with an aim to re-establish cordial relations between India and the US as the two nations were not on the best of terms post the 1971 Bangladesh War. But, when Carted urged India to not pursue its nuclear ambitions and sign the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty, it did not go down well with Morarji Desai, who had succeeded Indira Gandhi as India's Prime Minister just three months ago. This further dented India-US relations. Carter was accompanied by his mother on the trip and they held several meetings with members of India's Parliament.
Bill Clinton
Post Carter's visit, the ties between India and the US went downhill and no US President visited India for almost two decades. It was towards the end of the 1990s that relations between New Delhi and Washington DC began to improve and it prompted President Bill Clinton to visit India and meet Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Clinton's five-day trip to India from March 19 to 25 in 2000 marked the beginning of a new chapter of strategic and economic ties between the two nations. He was accompanied by his daughter Chelsea and the father-daughter duo visited several popular tourist destinations like Agra, Jaipur, Hyderabad and Mumbai.
George Bush
George W Bush came to India during his second term in office along with his wife Laura Bush. During his two-and-a-half-day long visit to India in 2006, Bush met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and finalized the framework of the landmark civil nuclear deal. Bush also delivered a speech before a select gathering at New Delhi's Purana Qila.
Barack Obama
Barack Obama was the only US President who visited India twice. During his first trip to India from December 6 to 9 in 2010, Obama addressed several key issues regarding the India-US ties, but it was his strong disapproval of the terror attacks that struck a chord with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other government officials.
Obama landed in India for the second time in 2015 to be the chief guest at the Republic Day parade in New Delhi. He received a warm welcome by the new Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and the two leaders held one-on-one talks on several vital topics. The highlight of the trip was Obama's promise of releasing $4 billion to better the partnership between India and the US.
