‘Didn’t want him, other leaders to see potholes’: Trump cites PM Modi’s visit in DOJ speech | India News

Trump gives speech at the DOJ (Screengrab from White House’s YouTube video)

The US President Donald Trump made a reference to PM Modi‘s visit to the US while delivering a speech at the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Friday.
He made the mention as he expressed his desire to present a clean and safe image of Washington DC to visiting world leaders, including Prime Minister Modi, talking about the importance of removing tents and graffiti near federal buildings.
“When Prime Minister Modi of India, the President of France, and all of these people… Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, they all came to see me over the last week and a half. And when they come in…I had the route run. I didn’t want to have them see tents. I didn’t want to have them see graffiti. I didn’t want to have them see broken barriers and potholes in the roads. And we had it looking beautiful,” Trump said.
While delivering his remarks, Trump outlined plans for city improvement, highlighting efforts to eliminate crime, remove graffiti and dismantle tents in collaboration with the administration. “We’re cleaning up our city. We’re cleaning up this great capital, and we’re not going to have crime, and we’re not going to stand for crime, and we’re going to take the graffiti down, and we’re already taking the tents down, and we’re working with the administration,” also said Trump.
He acknowledged Mayor Muriel Bowser‘s effective efforts in cleaning the capital, noting the swift removal of tents located opposite the State Department. “We said there are tents galore right opposite the State Department. They have to come down. And they took them down right away. And so so far, so good. We want to have a capital that can be the talk of the world,” the US President added to his statement.
The President committed to transforming Washington DC into a crime-free capital where visitors would feel secure without fears of mugging, shooting or assault. “We’re going to have a crime-free capital. When people come here, they’re not going to be mugged or shot or raped. They’re going to have a crime-free capital, again, it’s going to be cleaner and better and safer than it ever was and it’s not going to take us too long,” said Trump.

PM Modi’s White House visit for bilateral discussions occurred on February 13, making him the fourth international leader to meet Trump following his January inauguration.
In the initial month of Trump’s second term, he welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Jordan’s King Abdullah II. The US President’s recent diplomatic engagements also included meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer amongst other foreign leaders during his second term.
Meanwhile, during his DOJ speech, Trump also took a jab at former President Joe Biden. He criticised Biden’s administration, stating that they had transformed the Department of Justice (DOJ) into a “Department of Injustice”. Trump delivered these comments at the Department of Justice after numerous Biden-era judges, attorneys and officials were either dismissed or resigned under the current administration.
Speaking as the Chief Law Enforcement Officer, Trump declared that the previous administration’s approach to justice had ended permanently. “Our predecessor turned the Department of Justice into a Department of Injustice, but I stand before you to declare that those days are over, and they are never coming back. And now, as the Chief Law Enforcement Officer of our country, I will insist upon and demand accountability for all the wrongs and abuse that have occurred,” Trump said.
Trump alleged that investigators had conducted surveillance on his campaign and initiated multiple hoax and disinformation operations.
He further stated that they had targeted his family, staff and supporters, conducted a search of his Mar-a-Lago residence, and attempted to prevent him from assuming the presidency of the United States.