We are quite acclimatised to hearing American President Donald Trump say any number that comes to his mind as far as the number of people who’d come to the ‘Namaste Trump’ event in Ahmedabad to greet him – now, it has gone from seven to 10 million.
Trump said his 'good friend', the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had told him there will be 10 million people to greet him when he lands in India on February 24 while speaking to reporters at a rally in Colorado.
However, the projections by officials in Ahmedabad, which the President is scheduled to visit, are far lower. Ahmedabad municipal commissioner Vijay Nehra said he expects between one and two lakh people to line the 22-km route from the Ahmedabad airport to the stadium.
Trump, his wife Melania, daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner are scheduled to visit Ahmedabad, Agra and New Delhi on February 24 and 25.
Trump said at the Andrews Air Force Base that Modi told him that “we'll have 7 million people between the airport and the event” as recently as Tuesday.
On Thursday, the Prez upped the crowd size by three million at a 'Keep America Great' rally in Colorado.
“I hear they are going to have 10 million people. They say anywhere from six to 10 million people are going to be showing up along the route to one of the largest stadiums in the world, the largest cricket stadium in the world, which is brand new and beautiful,” Trump was quoted as saying.
“Prime Minister Modi said, we will have 10 million people greet you. Here's my problem. We have a packed house. We have a lot of people, thousands of people that couldn't get in. It's going to look like peanuts from now on. I'll never be satisfied with the crowd. If we have 10 million people in India, how can I be satisfied when we fill up like a 60,000-seat stadium? I am getting spoiled,” Trump said.
