00:00It's an honor to talk and say hello. I'm Minister Moni, and let him know I'm a big fan.
00:05Thank you, sir. Have a great day. Thank you. We appreciate you.
00:08Thank you. Thank you.
00:12How about that?
00:14All right, ladies and gentlemen, friends, colleagues, Mr. Secretary, Minister Jay Shaker,
00:21we are so glad you could all be here tonight to join us for this incredible celebration
00:27of 250 years for the United States. Two and a half centuries ago, the United States began
00:35as an experiment in liberty and self-government. As you travel here tonight, you may have seen
00:42what we at the embassy have dubbed our Freedom Fleet, the Otter rickshaws, known as the tuk-tukes,
00:48decorated to celebrate America's 250th birthday. This fleet is a symbol of our proud journey
00:55of democracy, a journey we are honored to share with our Indian partners. As any of you
01:03who have ridden in an otter rickshaw know, the beauty of the journey is that you aren't
01:08well enough in a car. You're actually part of the world. You're part of the landscape.
01:13You are part of the environment. You see the sights. You hear the sounds. And you feel
01:19the energy of the city. Our partnership follows a similar path. We recognize that the most meaningful
01:26progress is a straight, predictable road. It happens when we have the agility to navigate
01:35new routes together, finding the direct openings that lead to a real achievement. This open path
01:43diplomacy is driven by the personal bond between President Trump and Prime Minister Modi. I hear
01:50about it every time the President and I speak. One of the first questions the President will
01:55ask is, how is my friend the Prime Minister doing? And that is something that is important
02:01to convey. Because this relationship is not new. It's not a year old. It's not two years old.
02:06It stems almost a decade. Together, they have redefined what is possibly by moving with a shared
02:13sense of purpose and a relentless focus on the future. From George Washington to President
02:20Donald Trump, the United States remains a shiny beacon for the world. President Trump and Prime
02:27Minister Modi are leaders who have championed a new vision for the partnership between our
02:35two nations. One that is transparent, one that is agile, and above all, one that is results-oriented.
02:43Every week at the embassy, I tell my team, what are we going to achieve this week? The results
02:50matter. These two individuals, President Trump, Prime Minister Modi, they also recognize the immense
02:55potential of our two nations and are dedicated to finding new direct ways for us to work together.
03:02This bond is the foundation of a new era, one where we are actively delivering on the promise
03:09of our cooperation and building a future of tangible achievements. Since I arrived in New Delhi
03:16just five months ago, we have announced an interim trade deal that hopefully in the next few
03:21weeks will get signed. India has been invited, accepted, and joined Pax Silica. And commercial
03:28diplomacy is at record high levels. I am specifically proud that every embassy competes to bring investment
03:34into the United States. And our embassy in India came in number one in the world with twenty and a
03:40half
03:41billion dollars of new investments into the United States. Tonight is not only about celebrating history, it is about looking
03:51ahead.
03:51to a new era of shared success driven by the extraordinary momentum in the U.S.-India partnership.
03:59Since I've arrived here, I've been honored to advocate for a shared future, ensuring that top decision makers in
04:05Washington recognize the U.S.-India relationship. As you know, we have a direct line to everybody in the administration,
04:14but especially to our president. That is the partnership that opens markets, drives innovation, and creates
04:22high-quality jobs for both Americans and Indians. America first does not mean America alone. And every week,
04:31we identify opportunities that are win-win situations for both of our nations. I'm especially proud that this
04:40spring, our embassy brought a record-breaking delegation, which will continue over the weeks,
04:46months ahead, as we continue our work here in India. But today also is a very special evening here,
04:55because it is somebody's first trip to India. I want to welcome somebody who's an extraordinary
05:02individual. This is somebody who is not able to leave the White House every single day,
05:07because he's usually with the president. This is somebody who's not just in one position,
05:12but he's also the national security advisor. I want to welcome, and I want to ask everybody here to help
05:20me welcome somebody I consider a dear friend, but somebody who will go down in history as possibly
05:27the greatest secretary of state of the United States. Please help me welcome the extraordinary
05:34secretary, Marco Rubio.
05:57Thank you. Well, Sergio, let me just say this. We have great ambassadors everywhere all over the world,
06:02but I don't know anyone who's a better event producer of all of our ambassadors than what
06:06Sergio's put on here today. We're not even halfway through the evening. Sergio, this is a great event
06:11in honor of the 250 years of our country. And I want to thank you. Not only are you doing
06:16a great job
06:16tonight, but Sergio and his team here at the U.S. Embassy are doing a phenomenal job every single day
06:21and one of the most important relationships we have in the world. Thank you, Sergio. And thank you to
06:25our embassy team and everybody that works on it every single day. I also want to thank all of our
06:32friends from the diplomatic corps, various countries, so many that are here today representing your
06:36countries. We're honored and we're grateful that you would be here today to recognize the 250th
06:41anniversary of the founding of the United States of America. We're very grateful all of you are here.
06:45Thank you for coming. It's an honor to share this evening with all of you. It's a true privilege.
06:50And obviously, I would be remiss if I did not thank both the welcome and the hospitality that we've gotten
06:56from everybody here in India and all of your government leaders and in particularly the
07:00foreign minister who's become someone I've gotten to know very well. In fact, and I say this,
07:05maybe you've heard me say this before, but let me say it just one more time and then the story
07:08gets old.
07:09When I became Secretary of State, I was sworn in like at noon or 11 a.m. that morning after
07:16the
07:16inauguration. I immediately went over to the State Department and the first meeting I ever had
07:24was with a group of the four countries known as the Quad. And one of the people that I met
07:28on that
07:28very first day and I've interacted with so many times is Foreign Minister Zeish Shankar. And he's
07:33been phenomenal. He's a truly wise gentleman and does incredible work on behalf of your country
07:38and someone that I have tremendous esteem and respect for. In fact, I told Sergio when he came here,
07:45I said get to know the Foreign Minister because he truly knows what he's talking about.
07:51Interested global events. Look, we're honored to be here today to celebrate 250 years of our country.
07:56And we're very proud of the United States of America. We're very proud of its achievements.
08:00There's a lot of things to be proud of about America. And the one thing I'm really proud about
08:04America is it has served as a beacon of hope not just around the world but to individuals.
08:09My own parents were not born in the United States. My own parents came in 1956.
08:21We're very proud.
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