Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s joint press conference with US President Donald Trump had a moment where the latter faced an “accent” problem. During the event at the White House on Thursday, Trump appeared to evade a question about anti-India activities in the US, claiming he couldn’t understand the reporter’s accent.
The Indian journalist posed a question regarding anti-India activities in the US. Trump first responded with, “You’re gonna have to go louder…” but when the reporter repeated the question, the US President apparently dismissed it and said, “I can’t understand a word he’s saying. It’s the accent, it’s a little bit tough for me.”
Watch the video here:
This is not the first time Trump has dismissed a journalist by citing their accent. Last week, during a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he similarly brushed off a female Afghan reporter, saying, “It’s a beautiful voice and a beautiful accent. The only problem is I can’t understand a word you’re saying.”
Meanwhile, during his two-day visit to the US, PM Modi also met Indian-American entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Their discussions focused on space, mobility, technology and innovation.
At a joint media briefing with Modi, Trump announced that he and Modi agreed on a deal that would facilitate India to import more US oil and gas to bring down Washington’s trade deficit with New Delhi.
The bilateral trade between India and the US was around USD 130 billion last year and the US trade deficit stands at around USD 45 billion at present. The two leaders demonstrated mutual commitment to address bilateral trade barriers, according to officials.