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Watch: Donald Trump has trouble lighting a diya during Diwali celebrations in White House

Twitter, specifically Indian Twitter, had an epic meltdown after Donald Trump appeared to forget the Hindu community when mentioning the festival of lights – Diwali. At 2:33 AM on 14 November 2018 (IST) Donald Trump tweeted: “Today, we gathered for Diwali, a holiday observed by Buddhists, Sikhs, and Jains throughout the United States & around the world. Hundreds of millions of people have gathered with family & friends to light the Diya and to mark the beginning of a New Year.”

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Twitter, specifically Indian Twitter, had an epic meltdown after Donald Trump appeared to forget the Hindu community when mentioning the festival of lights – Diwali. At 2:33 AM on 14 November 2018 (IST) Donald Trump tweeted: “Today, we gathered for Diwali, a holiday observed by Buddhists, Sikhs, and Jains throughout the United States & around the world. Hundreds of millions of people have gathered with family & friends to light the Diya and to mark the beginning of a New Year.”

Trump later tweeted that Diwali was a Hindu festival of lights, but not before an epic Twitter meltdown. 

For a brief period, this caused quite a lot of meltdown on Twitter, given that there exists a group called Hindus for Trump and the POTUS had appeared to forgotten them.

 

President Donald Trump on Tuesday said US' relationship with India can act as a "bulwark" for freedom, prosperity and peace as he celebrated Diwali in the White House along with eminent Indian-Americans. 
It is the second consecutive year that President Trump has celebrated the largest festival of India and Indian Americans in the White House.

"I am thrilled to be here for the celebration of Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights, and I am honored to host this beautiful ceremony at the White House. Very, very special people," Trump said.

"I'm honoured to host this beautiful ceremony at the White House. Very, very special people. We're gathered today to celebrate a very special holiday observed by Buddhist, Sikhs and Jains throughout the United States and around the world," Trump said. 

"This ceremony signifies the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil. It is a jubilant occasion that brings loved ones, neighbours, and communities closer together," Trump said before lighting the ceremonial diya in the historic Roosevelt Room of the White House. 

He said the shining lights remind people to "seek wisdom, to give thanks, and to always cherish and love the ones who grace our lives.

"Our nation is blessed to be home to millions of hardworking citizens of Indian and South East Asian heritage to enrich our country in countless ways. Together we are one proud American family. Do we agree with that? I think so.

I think we do. Right? Better, believe it," he said.

"India is the world's largest democracy, and the relationship between our two countries can act as a bulwark for freedom, prosperity, and peace," Trump said, amidst China flexing its military muscles in the strategic Indo-Pacific region.

He said the United States has deep ties with India and he was grateful for his friendship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Modi is my friend and now her (Ivanka) friend and has great respect for India and the Indian people that I can say," said the US President as he introduced his daughter to the audience, who was present in the room. "Absolutely," replied Ivanka, who had visited India last year. She was the first top official of the Trump administration to travel to India to attend the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Hyderabad in November last year.
Trump also mentioned the ongoing negotiations between the US and India on a trade deal but indicated that the talks were moving though it was tough.

"We're trying very hard to make better trade deals with India. But, they're very good traders. They're very good negotiators. You would say right. The best. So we're working. And it's moving along," he said. 

Along with nearly two dozen top Indian-American officials of his administration, Trump invited the Indian Ambassador to the US, Navtej Singh Sarna, his wife Dr Avina Sarna, and his special assistant Pratik Mathur to be present during the White House Diwali celebrations.
Sarna in his remarks thanked the President for the great honour for India and the Indian community. 

"They feel very welcome here and so integrated with the American society," he said. "I think, we are looking at one of the best times we ever had in India-US relationship," Sarna said, which was agreed by Trump. "I think, that's true. Very close, closer than ever before," said the President.

In his remarks, Trump also welcomed senior Indian-American officials gathered for the Diwali celebrations.

Trump said Americans of Indian and South East Asian heritage have done an incredible job and identified several of them by name, including the chairman of the FCC, Ajit Pai; Manisha Singh, Acting Under Secretary of the

Department of State; Seema Verma, Administrator of the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services; Uttam Dhillon, Acting Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration; Neil Chatterjee, Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and Raj Shah, the Deputy White House Press Secretary.

The first White House Diwali celebrations was held in 2003 under the then US President George W Bush, who never attended the celebrations in person. A senior administration official represented him. It was mostly held in the India Treaty Room of Executive Office Building, which is part of the White House complex.

Since 2003, Diwali celebrations at the White House has become an annual tradition. In 2009, President Barack Obama lighted the ceremonial lamp in the East Room of the White House. 

In 2013, First Lady Michelle Obama celebrated Diwali in the East Room. Immediately before the celebrations, she participated in a Bollywood dance with local students in the State Dining Room. In 2016, Obama celebrated Diwali

in the Oval Office with a group of Indian Americans officials from his administration.

In 2016, Vice President Joe Biden hosted a Diwali reception at his official residence Number One Observatory Circle. In 2017, President Trump celebrated his first Diwali in the Oval Office with Ambassador Nikki Haley, senior officials from his administration and a small group of Indian- Americans.

Over the years, it is being celebrated by the Indian-Americans in Pentagon and the State Department. For the past several years, Diwali is also being celebrated at the US Capitol by lawmakers, being hosted by the India Caucus. 


With inputs from PTI

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