US President Trump Defied MEA’s Request To Avoid Questions After PM Modi Meet, Held 45-Minute Press Conference | Video

New Delhi: Diplomatic protocol was put to the test as President Trump reportedly shunned a request from New Delhi to not have a media conference post his meeting with PM Modi. According to the US Ambassador Sergio Gor, a request came from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to the White House that Trump not hold a press conference after his meeting with Modi. The two leaders met on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France earlier in the year.

Gor said that while the US president initially agreed, he subsequently went to hold a 45-minute press conference with the Indian prime minister present. Speaking at the Economic Times World Leaders Forum, Gor stated that the president had asked him if the Indians had any asks before the meeting, to which he replied.

“The MEA had one ask. ‘Let's bring in the media, but let's not do the full press conference. No questions.’ And so I told the president, ‘the Indians prefer no questions.’ He said. ‘Sure. No problem.’”

Gor was not finished with his story. He stated that the media came in as scheduled and both the president and the prime minister spoke for a few minutes. Post the speeches; however, things changed. “As soon as they get done, the president, he looks up at the camera and says, 'Any questions?' And that opened everything up. And he did a 45-minute press conference, and everything was on the table.”

The MEA has not formally replied to the remarks made by the US ambassador, but diplomatic sources told the media that discussions of this nature are standard diplomatic practice when two leaders meet. “Discussions regarding arrangements for public appearances of leaders are normal practice ahead of any VVIP visit. In this regard, the Indian side communicated its standard practice for such visits,” said a senior MEA official.

Ambassador Gor did say that the US valued its partnership with India. He announced that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who had visited in May, would be visiting India again in October. Speaking on the India-US trade deal, the US ambassador said that “in principle” almost everything is done. “The trade deal is well on the way. In fact, within a month of me getting here, at one point we announced we had a deal,” he said. “The Supreme Court struck down a big part of what the deal was based on the IEEPA laws. So we are reconfiguring some of the text. But in principle, almost everything is done.”

But while lauding the India-US relationship and thanking ministers like External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal for their efforts in building up the relationship, Gor however did not extend this praise to the Indian media. Complaining that certain sections of the Indian media broadcast “fake news” just as their American counterparts did, the US ambassador made his feelings about the Indian media very clear.

“I love getting home in the evening and putting on the Indian shows. And the later it gets, the crazier the shows become. So at 6pm you might have eight people arguing, but by 10pm it gets really good,” he said.

“There’s 12 people on there; they’re all speaking at the exact same time, and you can't hear a single one of them. And they must train because it is unbelievable that nobody gets interrupted. They just keep going.”

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