Trump to share stage with two world leaders in pair of battleground events

Breaking away from the staid formality of meetings at the White House, Trump will first take the stage with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a Houston stadium where tens of thousands of people -- many from the city's large Indian diaspora -- are expected to file in for an event dubbed "Howdy, Modi." He will then fly to Wapakoneta, Ohio, to tour an Australian-owned cardboard manufacturing plant alongside Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who Trump feted with a state dinner on Friday.

The events are an opportunity for both Modi and Morrison to show the US President they can deliver in ways that are especially appealing to Trump.

In the critical battleground state of Ohio, Morrison will demonstrate that his country is contributing to the US economy and creating manufacturing jobs as the two men tour a Pratt Industries manufacturing facility.

And in Houston, Modi will appeal directly to Trump's crowd-craving sensibilities with an anticipated 50,000 person crowd packing into Houston's NRG Stadium, giving Trump a rally setting where he tends to thrive and feel invigorated.

And beyond the immediate effects, Modi could also be giving Trump a bump in his battle for reelection. The rally will give Trump an opportunity to appeal to Indian-American voters in Harris County, which has been at the heart of Texas' gradual shift from reliably Republican to competitive battleground.

The events come as Trump continues to face questions about whether he pressured Ukraine's president to investigate former Vice President and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, while withholding military aid to the country. Trump has defended the call, dubbing criticism of it a "Ukraine Witch Hunt," while Biden on Saturday accused Trump of abusing the power of his presidency.

There is no evidence of wrongdoing by either Joe or Hunter Biden.

Trump will cap off his Sunday travel with a flight to New York, where he will address the United Nations General Assembly later in the week and meet with world leaders on its sidelines.

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