14.02.2025 15:30
U.S. President Donald Trump stated during a press conference with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he did not understand a question from an Indian journalist. In response to the journalist's question about the extradition of Tahawwur Rana, who is accused of involvement in the 2008 Mumbai attacks, Trump said, "I can't understand a single word he said" due to the accent.
President Donald Trump's press conference with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a strange start when a reporter with an accent said he "didn't understand a single word."
Standing next to Modi in the White House East Room, Trump referred to Modi, with whom he had built close ties during his first term, as "my friend" and "a very special person."
Trump then gave the floor to an Indian journalist working in the U.S. The question was about the extradition of Tahawwur Rana, who is accused of involvement in the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Trump described Rana as "a very violent man."
However, the problem was that Trump said he didn't understand the question at all.
The 78-year-old Trump first said, "You need to speak louder," and then made a surprised expression when he heard the question.
"I can't understand a single word he said. Because of his accent. It's a little difficult for me," he said, brushing off the topic amid laughter from a few people in the room.
This incident recalled a previous occasion earlier this month when Trump told an Afghan reporter, "You have a nice voice," before saying, "I can't understand a single word you said."
Both comments came at a time when the Trump administration was conducting "mass deportation" operations and asking other countries, including India, to take back their citizens who were caught without legal documents.