New Delhi: India on Monday responded to US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor's remarks regarding a conversation around Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with US President Donald Trump, saying that discussions over how leaders interact with the media are “normal practice” ahead of any VVIP visit.
“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,” News 18 reported, quoting government sources.
India's response comes after Gor said the Indian side had asked the US to ensure there were no questions from journalists during a PM Modi-Trump interaction, but that Trump ultimately forgot the request and took questions anyway.
What Sergio Gor had said
Gor, while recounting an interaction between PM Modi and Trump, said there had been an understanding around how the public appearance would be conducted.
Gor said he and Trump discussed the upcoming meeting privately, with Trump asking what India was likely to raise and whether New Delhi had any specific requests. Gor recalled that the MEA’s “one ask” was to bring in the media but “not do a full press conference.”
He further said, “I told the president, I said, the Indians prefer no questions. He said, sure, no problem,” Gor said. The meeting began with journalists and around 50 cameras present. But after PM Modi and Trump delivered their opening remarks, Trump turned to reporters and asked, “Any questions?”
The US envoy said that moment changed the format of the interaction, “opening everything up” and turning it into what he described as a “45-minute press conference” where “everything was on the table.”
PM Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump last met on June 17, 2026, on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Evian, France.
