The US President is known for his love of beef and his diet often consists of a selection of steaks, burgers and meatloaf. However, the US President could be in for a severe culture shock, as his host, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is a devoted vegetarian and plans to serve vegetarian food to the President, according to people familiar with the planning. Trump will have several meals with the Indian Prime Minister, including a lunch and formal banquet on Tuesday evening at Rashtrapati Bhavan, the official presidential palace in Delhi.
His visit will also include stopovers in Gujarat state, Agra and Delhi, where cows are revered as sacred and meat eating is a taboo.
Trump’s team will face a daunting task in the keeping the US President well fed and watered in the circumstances.
A person familiar with the President’s eating habits confided to CNN that although Trump has salad with a meal every now and again, he had “never seen him eat a vegetable.”
In past visits, Trump’s hosts have normally gone out of their way to accommodate the President’s dietary wishes.
President Trump and Narendra Modi (Image: GETTY)
Taj Mahal (Image: GETTY)
This has involved substituting lamb or another alternative for beef, when the latter was not available.
But several officials said it’s hard to imagine Modi serving the President his usual fare.
“I don’t know what he’s going to do in this case. They don’t serve cheeseburgers,” a former official said of the situation.
To compound matters, the US President will not be able to seek sanctuary in any of the McDonalds restaurants he may come across, as beef is strictly off the menu.
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Donald Trump and Narendra Modi (Image: GETTY)
Instead, locals dine on chicken burgers or fried paneer cheese sandwiches.
If the food will not be quite to the taste of the US President, then other aspects of the tour most certainly will appeal to Trump.
In particular, Prime Minister Modi is preparing a major political rally for the US President in his home town of Ahmedabad.
The “Namaste Modi” event is expected to attract hundreds of thousands of people.
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US President Donald Trump (Image: GETTY)
US President Donald Trump (Image: GETTY)
On stage, both leaders will address a bigger version of the “Howdy Modi” rally that they jointly appeared at in Houston to a jubilant crowd of 50,000 Indian Americans last year.
Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla said: “From the moment of their arrival at the airport a little before noon on 24th February, the delegates will be treated to a display of famed Indian hospitality and India’s Unity in Diversity.”
He said there will be tens of thousands of ordinary citizens as well as artists showcasing the performing arts from different states of the country as part of the India Road Show.
Donald Trump Family Tree (Image: EXPRESS)
Trump prides himself in having large crowds at his campaign rallies, ranging generally from 10,000 to 20,000 people.
And according to aides, the President has expressed admiration privately at the size of the crowd awaiting him in India.
Trump’s visit to India comes as hopes are fading among US business groups that the two day visit will lead to a thaw in trade tensions between the two countries.
US President Donald Trump (Image: GETTY)
The US and India have been locked in a bitter dispute over White House demands for better access to India’s huge poultry and dairy markets for US companies.
For his part, Prime Minister Modi has sought restoration of trade concessions that Trump withdrew in 2019 and greater access to U.S. markets for its pharmaceutical and farm
products.
Senior Trump administration officials acknowledged on Friday that the two-day visit would not result in a limited trade deal.