Lex Fridman podcast: PM Modi stresses ‘nation first’ citing Trump assassination bid - ‘showed his America first spirit’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised US President Donald Trump for ‘remaining unwaveringly dedicated to America’ even after being shot at one of the election rallies last year.  Modi, speaking at the Lex Fridman podcast, drew a parallel with President Trump in echoing ‘nation first’ ideology.

“When he was shot during the recent campaign, I saw the same resilient and determined President Trump, the one who walked hand-in-hand with me in that stadium. Even after being shot, he remained unwaveringly dedicated to America. His life was for his nation,” said PM Modi in Lex Fridman Podcast released on March 16, Sunday.

Trump narrowly escaped being shot in the head by a bullet that whizzed by and left his right ear bleeding during his election rally in Pennsylvania in July last year.

“His reflection showed his America First spirit, just as I believe in nation first. I stand for India first and that’s why we connect so well. These are the things that truly resonate. And I believe that across the world politicians are covered so much by the media that people mostly perceive each other through its lens. People rarely get the chance to truly meet or personally know one another and perhaps third-party intervention is the real cause of tensions,” Modi said.

Modi's conversation with Lex Fridman is his second appearance in podcasts. This is Modi's first appearance in a podcast hosted by an international personality. In January, he appeared in a podcast with Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath.

Lex Fridman is a research scientist who also hosts his own podcast, “Lex Fridman Podcast.”

Before Modi global leaders like US President Donald Trump, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Argentinian Prime Minister Javier Milei, tech moguls Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos and Sam Altman and public intellectual likeYuval Noah Harari have appeared in the podcast.

‘Far more prepared than before’

Modi said that he has found President Trump far more prepared in his second term than inhis first term.  “Look, I can say this, I have observed President Trump both during his first term and now in his second run,” said Modi.

Trump was sworn in as US President for the second time in January 2025 after defeating Democrat Kamala Harris in the elections held in November last year. Trump was US President in his first term between 2017 and 2021.

“This time, he seems far more prepared than before. He has a clear roadmap in his mind with well-defined steps, each one designed to lead him toward his goals. I also had the chance to meet members of his team, and I truly believe he has put together a strong, capable group and with such a strong team, I feel they are fully capable of implementing President Trump’s vision based on my interactions with them,”

Modi also mentioned his meetings with Tulsi Gabbard, Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk during his recent visit to the White House.

“As for Elon Musk, I have known him since my time as chief minister. He was there with his family and children, so naturally, the atmosphere felt warm and friendly. Of course, we had discussions and we talked about many different topics. Now, with his DOGE mission, he is incredibly excited about how it’s progressing and honestly,” Modi said again, drawing a parallel to his first government in 2014.

“It makes me happy too because when I took office in 2014, I wanted to free my country from the deep-rooted issues and harmful practices that have crept in, and I will continue striving to eliminate as many of them as I possibly can,” he said.

“For example, after I took office in 2014, I observed that back then we weren’t part of many global discussions, not like how President Trump and DOGE are being talked about today,” said Modi, citing examples of fixing issues like ghost names, pensions being issued to fake people by removing a hundred million fake or duplicate names from the system.