Trump thanks PM Tarique

President Donald Trump has told Bangladesh’s prime minister he hopes to meet him “in the not-too-distant future,” thanking Tarique Rahman in a personal letter for Bangladesh’s decision to buy Boeing aircraft and predicting a “very bright future” for the country under his leadership.

The letter, dated Aug. 31 and released by the prime minister’s press wing, was Trump’s reply to a note Rahman had sent him about Bangladesh’s aircraft purchase.

“I just received your letter concerning the purchase of Boeing Aircraft, and very much appreciate your decision of purchase,” Trump wrote. “Boeing will not let you down, and I will not forget.”

The American president also sent what he called his “warmest regards and love” to the people of Bangladesh, acknowledging the hardships they had endured.

“They have been through much but, under your leadership, I feel certain that they, and your Country itself, will have a very bright future,” he wrote.

The exchange is the latest sign of warming ties between Washington and Dhaka since Rahman’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party swept back into power this year after Sheikh Hasina’s government collapsed in August 2024.

Trump wrote to Rahman shortly after his election in February, and the two governments have since moved to deepen cooperation on trade, aviation and defense.

Aircraft purchases have emerged as a tangible marker of that shift. In April, Bangladesh signed an agreement with Boeing for 14 aircraft to expand the fleet of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, the national flag carrier – the largest aircraft order in the country’s history – and officials have said they are weighing an additional leasing arrangement for more Boeing jets.

Dhaka has also said it intends to buy planes from Europe’s Airbus as it works to modernize its aviation sector, suggesting the government is trying to balance its embrace of American manufacturers with continued European ties.

For Trump, the Boeing order fits a pattern of citing aircraft deals as evidence of stronger trade relationships with foreign governments. For Rahman, the personal note from the American president – and the prospect of a face-to-face meeting – offers a symbolic boost as his government works to establish its footing on the world stage less than a year after taking office.

Neither government has announced a date or venue for a possible meeting between the two leaders.