White House spokesperson Kush Desai reaffirmed US President Donald Trump’s commitment to the strategic partnership with India, citing his phone call with US Ambassador Sergio Gor and highlighting US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s four-day visit to India.
Speaking to ANI, Kush Desai said the Trump administration and the Indian government are working to elevate bilateral ties to greater heights.
“President Donald Trump has consistently reaffirmed his support for America’s strategic partnership with India, including during a recent speakerphone conversation with Ambassador Sergio Gor at an America 250 celebration in New Delhi,” Desai told ANI.
Desai was referring to a diplomatic moment during the celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of American independence, when Gor held his phone to a microphone so attendees could hear Trump’s live remarks.
“I just want to greet everyone. I admire Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Modi is great, he is my friend, and I wish everybody a very good evening,” Trump said during the call, adding, “I am a big, big fan of Prime Minister Modi.”
Kush Desai also said that Marco Rubio’s “landmark” visit to India reflected Donald Trump’s efforts to strengthen bilateral ties and cooperation. Highlighting the outcome of the visit, he noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Trump share a close friendship focused on the growth and progress of both nations.
“Secretary Marco Rubio’s landmark visit to India furthered President Donald Trump’s efforts to deepen bilateral cooperation in trade and national security, including the signing of a historic memorandum of understanding on critical minerals,” Kush Desai said.
He added that Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi share a close friendship and that, under their leadership, the US and India are expected to elevate their partnership to new levels.
During Rubio’s visit, India and the US signed a bilateral Critical Minerals Framework, a significant step in strengthening strategic ties and ensuring secure access to key resources essential for advanced technology and energy sectors within trusted supply networks.
The agreement builds on the groundwork established during high-level meetings held in Washington, DC, in February 2026, when US Secretary of State Marco Rubio launched the Forum on Resource Geostrategic Engagement (FORGE), according to an official statement from the United States Embassy.
The statement said that, through this framework, India and the United States will collaborate in global efforts to safeguard sensitive supply chains from coercive market practices and lessen their shared dependence on single-source monopolies.
It further noted that the US government is deploying unprecedented resources to strengthen critical mineral supply chains, backing projects with over $30 billion in letters of interest, investments, loans, and other forms of support in partnership with the private sector. The statement added that these investments, along with Pax Silica and renewed diplomatic and commercial engagement, are expected to create a multiplier effect by attracting significantly larger private capital investments and generating billions of dollars in new projects aimed at securing supply chains. These coordinated initiatives cover both domestic and international projects, reinforcing US national security and economic competitiveness.
Earlier, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor highlighted the success of Marco Rubio’s India visit in a post on X.
“It was a privilege to host my friend Marco Rubio in India over the past four days. We held productive discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, and NSA Ajit Doval. We travelled across New Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur, celebrated America’s 250th anniversary; and concluded the visit with a successful Quad meeting. America’s foreign policy is in excellent hands under Secretary Marco Rubio’s leadership,” he wrote.