Elon Musk Calls on PM Modi During US Visit

WASHINGTON:
Elon Musk, a key advisor to US President Donald Trump and CEO of Tesla, called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Thursday evening at the Blair House in Washington D.C., the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a press statement.

Both PM Modi and Musk discussed space, mobility, technology, and innovation.

Taking to X, the MEA said: “Prime Minister 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.”

Musk was accompanied by family members for the meeting, it added.

After the meeting with Musk, PM Modi tweeted: “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.”

Before the meeting, Musk was spotted walking with his children towards Blair House. The moment Musk arrived with his children for what is expected to be an exciting discussion was captured in a brief video.

This isn’t the first time Musk has brought his children to an official meeting.

PM Modi arrived in Washington DC early Thursday morning for his first US visit since Trump returned to the White House.

Musk called on the Prime Minister at the Blair House, the US government facility less than 100 metres from the White House where he would hold talks with US President Donald Trump later in the day.

Prime Minister Modi was accompanied by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Ambassador to the US Vinay Kwatra, and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.

Musk was accompanied by his family, including X, the five-year-old who shared the limelight with his father and President Trump during a joint news briefing at the Oval Office, earlier this week.

Prime Minister Modi and Musk have met several times before, starting with a 2015 visit by the Indian leader to the San Jose facility of Tesla where the owner gave him a personal guided tour.

Musk has toyed with the idea of developing a more affordable version of Tesla for the India market but there has not been much movement on it yet.

Musk has a towering presence in the Trump administration and the US President has entrusted him with improving the efficiency of the federal government, making it leaner and cost-effective. His efforts have already resulted in the closure of the US Agency for International Development and its work being merged with the State Department, which had titular oversight over it earlier.

Earlier, Prime Minister Modi received National Security Advisor Mike Waltz at Blair House on Thursday and Tulsi Gabbard on Wednesday, who had called on him within hours of being confirmed as the Director of National Intelligence, making her the top spy in the United States, heading the 18-member Intelligence Community.