Donald Trump has described Narendra Modi as a “true friend.” But that apparently has not stopped the U.S. president from mocking the Indian prime minister behind closed doors.
Quoting senior administration officials, The Washington Post reported Sunday that Trump “has been known to affect an Indian accent” to imitate Modi.
Several national Indian news outlets, including the Times of India, the Hindustan Times and NDTV have since run stories about Trump’s alleged mimicry.
The detail about Trump’s Modi imitation was buried in a Post story about U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan. The report detailed a conversation Modi had with Trump during his visit to the White House last year.
“Never has a country given so much away for so little in return,” Modi reportedly told Trump, referring to the U.S. in Afghanistan.
Senior White House officials told the Post that the president saw Modi’s statement as “proof that the rest of the world viewed the United States as being duped and taken advantage of in Afghanistan.” Still, plans are reportedly underway for the U.S. to send more troops to fight in America’s longest war.
Trump has previously come under scrutiny for mocking others’ accents. In October, he exaggerated a Spanish accent when pronouncing “Puerto Rico” during a speech marking Hispanic Heritage Month.