Donald Trump has come under fire for mimicking the accent of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the final stop of his Asia tour today (October 29).
The Republican leader, who is spending a week in Asia, has had a busy few days, meeting with other foreign leaders.
The 79-year-old US president spent time with Japan’s newly elected prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, yesterday (October 28) and finalized the terms of a trade agreement with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung today.
He emphasized the US commitment to Japan by calling her position as Japan’s first female prime minister a “big deal.” He then pledged, “Anything I can do to help Japan, we will be there.” At the highest level, we are allies.
Additionally, he performed a dance as soon as he landed in Malaysia on Sunday, October 26, while attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) annual conference.
Trump’s speech at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference in Gyeongju, South Korea, earlier today, was the most recent of the week’s viral moments, as you would guess.
But for all the wrong reasons, it’s making the rounds on social media.
As per The Independent, the President was talking about earlier this year when India exchanged fire with Pakistan in a four-day conflict, with people worried it could turn into a full-blown war.
Speaking about the Indian PM at the summit, Trump said: “I’ll tell you what, Prime Minister Modi is the nicest looking guy. He’s… oh, you’d like to have your father like that.”
He continued: “He’s a killer! He’s tough as hell,” before inappropriately launching into an insensitive imitation of Modi, seemingly trying to put on an Indian accent.
Switching back to his own voice, he added: “I said whoa, is that the same man that I know?”
Understandably, the impression has not gone down too well with onlookers, who have taken to social media to slam the American leader.
Meanwhile, people in the replies added: “The people clapping should be embarrassed” and “This is legitimately hard to watch.”
“That is so damn cringe. Yikes,” agreed a third person, while a fourth chimed in with: “WHAT THE F**K?? Drag him off the stage!!!”
“This is not going to play well among the MAGA voters who care about respectful portrayals of other cultures,” remarked a sarcastic Reddit user. Because of this, he will likely lose two or even three backers.
Anna Kelly, spokesperson for the White House, stated: “President Trump has a great relationship with Prime Minister Modi, as evidenced by the frequent communication between the leaders and their ongoing partnership across a range of critical issues.”
