US President Donald Trump has reportedly used an Indian accent to imitate Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his conversations about US policy in Afghanistan, according to a report in the Washington Post.
Prime Minister Modi, during his visit to the US last year, held talks with President Trump on a number of issues including the situation in war-torn Afghanistan.
Modi told Trump in an Oval Office meeting in June: “Never has a country given so much away for so little in return” as the United States in Afghanistan, The Washington Post quoted sources as saying.
To Trump, Modi's statement was proof that the rest of the world viewed the United States as being duped and taken advantage of in Afghanistan, The Post said.
Senior administration officials said that the President has been known to affect an Indian accent and imitate Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.The Post reported
The White House did not immediately respond to a question on The Post's assertion that Trump has been imitating Modi in Indian accent.
Democratic Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi condemned Trump's reported habit of affecting an Indian accent to imitate Modi.
I was appalled to read that President Trump reportedly affected an Indian accent to imitate Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Raja Krishnamoorthi
"In the wake of the President's recent comments disparaging entire regions of the world while we still face such division at home, behavior that belittles our allies and 'otherises' entire communities of Americans is one of the last things we need,” he said.
He also added: “Americans are not defined by their accents, but by their commitment to this nation's values and ideals.”
Multiple times in the past, the White House has denied such reporting from The Post including his alleged "shithole" remarks during a meeting with lawmakers early this month.
Trump has quite often accused The Post of being "fake news".
Since the time he assumed the seat of President, Trump war-plan for Afghanistan has increased the number of troops from 8,500 to 14,000. Along with this, Trump also created quite a stir by lifting the restrictions on US warplanes that caused a major spike in recent airstrikes aimed at Taliban formations and its leadership, The Post added.
According to the daily, Trump has made it clear to senior Pentagon officials that he wants to see a quick return on the increased US investment in troops and money in Afghanistan. The report adds that he also largely left the execution of this war-plan up to the Pentagon, marking a swift differentiation from former President Obama’s oversight into the matter.
The Post also mentions that combination of Trump’s insistence on quick returns and a desire to have the Afghan army lead in the fight, has sometimes led to a conflict of interest within the military over how the Afghan forces can be best supported.
Pentagon officials are also under pressure to keep troop numbers from growing significantly, it said, adding that up to 1,000 more US troops could be headed to Afghanistan this spring.
(With inputs from PTI)
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