India Wanted No Questions at PM Modi-Trump Press Meet, US President Forgot: Envoy
US Ambassador Sergio Gor says Trump initially agreed to India's request before unexpectedly inviting reporters to ask questions at the G7 meeting.
NEW DELHI, Aug 24: India had asked the United States to avoid a full fledged press conference during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor has said.
According to Gor, Trump initially agreed to New Delhi’s request that journalists be allowed into the room but not given an opportunity to conduct a formal question-and-answer session. However, the US president later invited reporters to ask questions, turning what was expected to be a brief media interaction into an extended session.
The meeting between Modi and Trump took place on June 17 at Evian-les-Bains in France during the G7 summit.
India sought limited media interaction
Recalling the events before the meeting, Gor said Trump had asked him what issues Indian officials were expected to raise during the discussion. The ambassador said the two also discussed whether New Delhi had any specific requests.
Gor said the Ministry of External Affairs had conveyed one particular preference that the media could be present, but the meeting should not develop into a full press conference.
“I told the president, I said, the Indians prefer no questions. He said, sure, no problem,” Gor recalled while speaking at the Economic Times World Leaders Forum.
The arrangement initially appeared to be in place as journalists and cameras entered the room. Gor said around 50 cameras were present while Modi and Trump sat across from each other and delivered their opening remarks.
Trump unexpectedly invites questions
The situation changed immediately after the leaders’ initial statements.
According to Gor, Trump turned towards the assembled journalists and asked whether they had any questions. The move effectively transformed the interaction into an open media session.
“And that opened everything up,” Gor said, describing what followed as a 45 minute press conference during which a wide range of issues was discussed.
The ambassador’s account suggests that the extended interaction was not part of the original arrangement discussed between the US and Indian sides.
No official response from India
The remarks have drawn attention because media access during high-level diplomatic meetings is generally coordinated in advance between the participating governments.
Gor said India’s preference had been communicated directly to Trump before the meeting and that the US president had initially accepted it.
The Indian government has not officially commented on the ambassador’s account or clarified whether New Delhi had formally requested that reporters be prevented from asking questions.
The episode highlights the sometimes unpredictable nature of Trump’s interactions with the media and offers an unusual account of the behind-the-scenes arrangements surrounding his meeting with Modi during the G7 summit.
