Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday met Tesla chief Elon Musk at Blair House in Washington. The Prime Minister, who is on a two-day US visit, reached Washington DC on Wednesday night.
Elon Musk, who heads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in the Donald Trump administration, welcomed PM Modi at the Blair House. The tech titan was accompanied by three of his children -- X, Strider and Azure. During the meeting, Elon Musk gifted PM Modi a Starship hexagonal heatshield tile.The meeting between PM Modi and Musk took place after the latter concluded his discussions with US National Security Advisor Michael Waltz. The Prime Minister was accompanied by External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar and India's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.
Soon after his meeting, PM Modi took to X and said he was delighted to meet Elon Musk's family. "It was also a delight to meet Mr. @elonmusk’s family and to talk about a wide range of subjects," PM Modi posted.
"Had a very good meeting with @elonmusk in Washington DC. We discussed various issues, including those he is passionate about such as space, mobility, technology and innovation. I talked about India’s efforts towards reform and furthering ‘Minimum Government, Maximum Governance," he wrote in another post.The Prime Minister's Office (PMO), in an official statement, said that both PM Modi and Musk discussed strengthening collaboration between Indian and US entities in innovation, space exploration, artificial intelligence, and sustainable development.
"Their discussion also touched on opportunities to deepen cooperation in emerging technologies, entrepreneurship and good governance. Mr. Musk was accompanied by family members for the meeting," PMO added.
According to news agency, a key agenda of Musk's meeting with PM Modi was Starlink's pending licence approval in India. The satellite-based internet service, operated by Musk’s SpaceX, has been seeking regulatory clearance to expand its operations in the Indian market.This is PM Modi's first visit to the United States after Donald Trump returned to the White House for a second term. PM Modi is scheduled to meet Indian-American entrepreneur and politician Vivek Ramaswamy next, which will be followed by his bilateral meeting with the US President.PM Modi will hold a delegation-level meeting with Trump and key members of his Cabinet at the White House followed by bilateral talks.
The agenda for the bilateral talks between the US President and PM Modi remains undisclosed. However, the visit comes at a crucial juncture, following Donald Trump's recent threats to impose tariffs on nations he claims are 'harming' the US economy.
Trump specifically named China, India, and Brazil as key targets, adding an element of uncertainty to the discussions ahead of PM Modi's visit.