WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has been known to mimic an Indian accent to imitate Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his conversations about US policy in Afghanistan, according to a news report in The Washington Post.
Modi, in his visit to the White House last June, told Trump that “never has a country given so much away for so little in return”, referring to the US campaign in Afghanistan.
“To Trump, Modi’s statement was proof that the rest of the world viewed the United States as being duped and taken advantage of in Afghanistan,” the report quoted unnamed officials in the White House as saying.
It’s in that context, the Post said, that “senior administration officials said the president has been known to affect an Indian accent and imitate Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi”.
The White House did not respond to a request for confirmation or denial of the Post report.
Modi and Trump have had several meetings and telephonic conversations since the latter were elected US president. While Modi was en route to Washington in June, Trump had called him a “true friend” in a tweet.
The two leaders have since settled into an easy working relationship and, according to officials on both sides, they share a great rapport.
In his South Asia policy unveiled in August 2016, Trump sought a larger role for India in the economic development of Afghanistan, while putting Pakistan on notice for offering safe haven to terrorists operating against US-led international coalition forces.