US President Donald Trump May Attend 2019 Republic Day Parade As Chief Guest, Invitation Sent In April

India has invited United States President Donald Trump to be the chief guest at the next year’s Republic Day parade, the Times of India has reported.

According to the daily, the Trump administration is yet to send an official response to India’s invitation. However, it notes that the US has indicated that it is favourably considering the invite sent by India. The invitation was extended by the Modi government in April this year, the report adds.

Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama had attended the celebrations as the chief guest in 2015. In 2016, French president Francois Hollande was the chief guest at the parade, while the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan was the guest in 2017. This year, leaders of 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations-member states were chief guests at the celebrations.