"Thank you my friend. America loves India!" said US President Donald Trump. He was responding to PM Modi's tweet congratulating Trump and US on the 244th Independence Day.
Modi also said that as the world's largest democracies, we cherish freedom and human enterprise that celebrates this day.
"I congratulate @POTUS @realDonaldTrump and the people of the USA on the 244th Independence Day of the USA. As the world's largest democracies, we cherish freedom and human enterprise that this day celebrates. @WhiteHouse"
Earlier, during the day, speaking to a largely maskless crowd at Mount Rushmore, President Donald Trump said on Friday that protesters have waged "a merciless campaign to wipe out our history" amid demonstrations against racial injustice and police brutality.
The sharp rebuke in a holiday address to mark the nation's independence follows weeks of protests across the nation, sparked by the Memorial Day killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis.
Some demonstrators have also destroyed or damaged Confederate monuments and statues honouring those who have benefited from slavery.
"This movement is openly attacking the legacies of every person on Mount Rushmore," Trump said, adding that some on the political left hope to "defame our heroes, erase our values, and indoctrinate our children." His speech, intended to rev up his conservative base, comes as Trump has seen his standing slump over his handling of the pandemic and response to protests and unrest around the country. With four months until the election, Trump's hopes for a second term - once buoyed by low unemployment and a roaring stock market - seem uncertain.
Amid the headwinds, Trump has sharpened his focus on his most ardent base of supporters as concern grows inside his campaign that his poll numbers in the battleground states that will decide the 2020 election are slipping.
