NYT Report Suggests PM Modi Refused To Take Trump’s Phone Calls

New Delh: A report published in The New York Times has claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi declined to take calls from former US President Donald Trump during a tense phase of trade negotiations, even as Washington tried to press India to get into a deal.

According to the report, PM Modi had earlier turned down Trump’s invitation to visit Washington following the Pahalgam terror attack, with Indian officials wary that the White House might engineer a public interaction with Pakistan’s military leadership. A senior Indian official quoted in the story said New Delhi felt Trump “cared little” for the complexities of India-Pakistan relations.

The article also says PM Modi rejected Trump’s repeated outreach, with Indian officials fearing that the US President could disclose sensitive details of conversations on his social media platform Truth Social.

Trump, the paper reports, was increasingly frustrated by stalled tariff negotiations and, in the final days before additional US tariffs came into effect, nominated his close aide Sergio Gor as ambassador to India and regional envoy. Indian officials, however, were reportedly divided on whether the nomination reflected greater importance or a lack of nuance in Washington’s approach.

As the tariff hikes kicked in, Trump’s advisers escalated their criticism of Indi, one terming New Delhi’s approach “arrogant” and another controversially describing the Ukraine conflict as “Modi’s war.”

The NYT story suggests that PM Modi, wary of the unpredictability of Trump’s style, has since pivoted his messaging towards “self-reliance” and reviving the “Make in India” campaign, while signalling openness to closer ties with Beijing and Moscow during his ongoing China visit.

The Ministry of External Affairs has not commented on the report.

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