NEW DELHI (AP) — In New Delhi’s chaotic traffic, where the backs of auto-rickshaws sometimes double as mobile billboards, some commuters are now being greeted by an unlikely face: U.S. President Donald Trump.
Splashed beneath his portrait is the slogan, “Happy Birthday America!”
About 100 auto-rickshaws carrying large images of Trump and the Statue of Liberty have appeared across the Indian capital in recent weeks. In a city where the backs of thousands of three-wheelers are routinely covered with ads for little-known fertility clinics, English-speaking courses and herbal remedies, the American branding stands out.
The unusual advertising campaign was unveiled last month by Sergio Gor, the U.S. ambassador to India. It is part of a broader push by the U.S to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence, with celebrations, cultural events and public outreach campaigns planned in several countries.
Announcing the initiative on social media last month, the U.S. Embassy posted, “Freedom is on the move … literally!”
And it urged people in the capital to flag down the auto-rickshaws, saying, “Catch them if you can — they’ll be popping up all over Delhi soon.”
Washington is seeking to stabilize relations with India after ties soured over Trump’s tariff policies, which raised duties on several Indian exports. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is also expected to visit New Delhi this weekend.
For many auto-rickshaw drivers, though, the campaign carries little meaning.
Driver Ganesh Kumar, whose vehicle carried one of the Trump posters, said he initially refused when organizers approached him.
“I told them I didn’t want it,” Kumar said. But he relented after organizers offered him a valuable inducement.
“They said, ‘Please let us put (the poster). We’ll give you a packet of tea,’” he said.
Another driver, Pradeep Kumar, said he agreed to carry the poster mostly because the canopy of his auto-rickshaw was torn and needed covering.
Asked if he knew what the advertisement said, Kumar replied: “I know he is Trump. Don’t know much other than that.”
An auto-rickshaw displays a poster of U.S. President Donald Trump that celebrates "250 Years of America" on the back of vehicle in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Shonal Ganguly)
Pradeep Kumar stands next to his auto-rickshaw featuring a poster of U.S. President Donald Trump that celebrates "250 Years of America" on the back of his vehicle in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Shonal Ganguly)
Ganesh Kumar stands next to his auto-rickshaw featuring a poster of U.S. President Donald Trump that celebrates "250 Years of America" on the back of his vehicle in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Piyush Nagpal)
LONDON (AP) — Britain's deputy prime minister said Sunday that he told U.S. Vice President JD Vance he was wrong to blame immigration for the death of a university student who was handcuffed as he lay dying from a stab wound.
David Lammy, who is also the justice minister, said he challenged Vance in what he described as a “robust” phone call on Saturday. Lammy and Vance have struck up a friendship, based on their religious beliefs and family backgrounds, even though they come from different sides of the political spectrum.
“We had an agreeable conversation because we have got a relationship, but I wanted to make him clear that I disagree with some of the facts that he was asserting and to present the facts to him," Lammy told Sky News.
The call came a day after Vance said in a post on social platform X that there should be “righteous anger” in response to the murder of Henry Nowak, 18, who died in December after being stabbed by Vickrum Digwa in the English city of Southampton.
Digwa, who is Sikh, falsely claimed to police he was the victim of a racist assault by Nowak, who was white. When police officers arrived, they initially treated the wounded man as a suspect before noticing his injury and trying to resuscitate him.
Vance appeared to blame the murder in part on “the mass invasion of migrants, many of whom despise the West and the people who love it.”
Lammy said he wanted to “emphasize a number of things” to Vance, including that the killer was British and is now behind bars.
"This has got nothing to do with mass migration," Lammy said.
Digwa, 23, was convicted of murder for stabbing Nowak with an 8-inch (21 centimeter) Sikh dagger and sentenced this week to life in prison with a minimum 21-year term.
The case has been seized on by anti-immigration activists and politicians in the U.K. On Tuesday, police in Southampton were pelted with chairs, cans, rocks and flares after a demonstration over Nowak’s death attended by far-right figures and others.
In a statement issued Friday in response to Vance's comments, Prime Minister Keir Starmer 's office criticized people “trying to interfere in our democracy and seeking to stir up division on our streets.”
The Independent Office for Police Conduct, which investigates allegations of police wrongdoing, is probing the actions of police officers on the scene.
The victim’s father, Mark Nowak, has said the case was not about racism or religion, and that he wanted his son’s death to lead to safer streets and not to be used to create “further division, hatred or tension.”
Lammy also said he told Vance “it’s not helpful to tweet in this way, partly because of what the Nowak family have asked for, and reminded him about their desire not to make this an issue of division and hatred, but to make this an issue of common sense.”
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks as he visits STARK, a leading defence tech company in Swindon, England, Friday, June 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, Pool)
People gather to protest outside Southampton police station, Southampton, England, Tuesday June 2, 2026, after the fatal stabbing of Henry Nowak, a British teenager who was handcuffed despite claiming he was the crime victim. (Gareth Fuller/PA via AP)
In this image taken from PA Video, police and protestors clash during a protest following the death of Henry Nowak, a 18-year-old student stabbed to death with a Sikh kirpan ceremonial by Vickrum Digwa, in Southampton, England, Tuesday June 2, 2026. (Jamie Lashmar/PA via AP)
Vice President JD Vance speaks with reporters upon arriving on Air Force Two at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, Pool)
