The Indian government has strongly denied social media claims suggesting that the White House turned down External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s request to meet former US President Donald Trump, calling the reports “fake news.”
The Ministry of External Affairs’ Fact Check unit responded on X, stating: “CLAIM: White House denies Indian FM Jaishankar’s request to meet Donald Trump due to busy schedule. This is FAKE News. This CLAIM is false.”
The clarification comes in response to a viral post on X alleging that Jaishankar’s meeting request was denied during his recent official visit to the United States.
Jaishankar visited the US from June 30 to July 2 at the invitation of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. His visit included participation in the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (QFMM) in Washington, D.C., where he discussed enhancing cooperation between India, the US, Japan, and Australia to ensure a free, open, and secure Indo-Pacific.
In a post after the meeting, Jaishankar said: “Just finished a very productive meeting of Quad Foreign Ministers in Washington DC. Discussed how to make Quad more focused and impactful on contemporary opportunities and challenges.”
During the visit, he also held high-level meetings with key US officials:
- With FBI Director Kash Patel, he discussed collaboration on organized crime, terrorism, and narcotics control.
- With US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, he had a “good exchange” on global security dynamics.
- With US Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Jaishankar talked about India’s ongoing energy transformation and strengthening bilateral energy ties.
- With US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, discussions focused on enhancing the India-US defence partnership.
Prior to his Washington visit, Jaishankar was in New York, where he inaugurated a UN exhibition titled ‘The Human Cost of Terrorism’, calling for greater accountability on state sponsorship of terrorism.
India’s official rebuttal aims to quash misinformation and reaffirm that Jaishankar’s US trip focused entirely on strengthening strategic partnerships, with no scheduled or proposed meeting with former President Trump.
