Biden to confront Modi on democracy with ‘humility’ after ‘challenge’ in US, White House says
Naomi Lim
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President Joe Biden‘s strategy regarding Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and democratic backsliding reflects similar trends in the United States, according to the White House.
A senior administration official previewed a private “fulsome exchange” between Biden and Modi concerning “all issues” in the U.S.-India partnership but underscored the president’s commitment to democratic principles, which has defined his foreign policy.
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“The president and the prime minister have discussed religious discrimination, treatment of minorities, issues of press freedoms, and the president will not shy away from those conversations going forward,” he told reporters Wednesday.
For the official, the pair’s “close relationship” provided Biden with the opportunity to raise these and other issues “with respect” and “trust.”
“The president approaches some of these discussions and issues with a degree of humility,” he said. “[He] understands that our own society, our own democracy has been under challenge and we have our own issues that we’re grappling with. And so, I think he seeks to have a dialogue that is really one based more in mutual challenges and other issues that we’re grappling with than simply hectoring, lecturing, and scolding.”
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The official, who said the White House is bracing for demonstrations, also previewed the Biden-Modi press conference, though he declined to detail the diplomacy that produced the schedule since the prime minister rarely takes questions from news outlets.
Some lawmakers have promised to protest Modi’s address to a joint session of Congress over the prime minister’s domestic policies, with many signing a letter imploring Biden to broach the issues during the state visit.