Washington: US president Donald Trump and prime minister Narendra Modi are said to have a warm relationship, something that has been helped by the Indian leader being invited to the Oval Office on several occasions and the Trump administration's recent criticism of India's neighbour, Pakistan.
But in a development that could cause tension between the two countries, a new report claims Trump, who earlier this month triggered controversy when it was reported he used a derogatory phrase to refer Haiti and African nations, reportedly imitates the Indian leader's accent. The Washington Post reported Trump's behaviour in the context of the US' provision of additional troops to Afghanistan, where it is supposed to have adopted a non-combat role.
It said Trump imitated the accent of Modi, who can speak and understand English but prefers to converse in his native Hindi, and claimed that he said to him: "Never has a country given so much away for so little in return" - as the United States in Afghanistan. Trump claimed the Indian leader's comment was proof the rest of the world viewed the United States as being taken advantage of in Afghanistan. Both the White House and State Department failed to respond to questions about the claim. Indian officials in Washington also did not immediately respond.
If true, it would not be the first time Trump had adopted a fake Indian accent. In the spring of 2016, during the election campaign, Trump used such a voice to mock a call centre representative in India.
The New York billionaire claimed he called up his credit card company to find out whether their customer support is based in the US or overseas. US Congressman, Raja Krishnamoorthi, shared a statement on his Twitter, which said: ‘I was appalled to read that President Trump reportedly affected an Indian accent to imitate Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Americans are not defined by their accents, but by their commitment to this nation’s values and ideals.’ It’s not the first time Trump has been called out for mocking accents.
