President Donald Trump delivered a bizarre monologue about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju, South Korea — and capped it with a cringeworthy impression of an Indian accent.
"I'll tell you what, Prime Minister Modi is the nicest looking guy," Trump began Wednesday, adding that Modi looked like someone "you'd like to have as your father." Moments later, he dramatically shifted tone, declaring, "he's a killer. He's tough as hell."
Trump then launched into an impersonation of Modi, attempting an exaggerated Indian accent and mimicking what he claimed was the prime minister's negotiation style: "No, we will fight!"
Reflecting on his own impression, Trump exclaimed to the room, "I said, 'Whoa, is that the same man that I know?'"
The president repeatedly took credit for resolving a four-day armed conflict between India and Pakistan, claiming his threat of massive tariffs was responsible for the ceasefire. "I said I was going to put 250 percent tariffs on each country," Trump boasted. "That's a nice way of saying we don't want to do business with you… and they understood that and within 48 hours we had no war."
Trump contrasted his approach with that of his predecessor, challenging, "You think Biden would have done that? I don't think so. Most people wouldn't have thought of it, but you know."
Indian officials have consistently rejected Trump's claims of mediating the conflict. Sources reportedly suggested that Modi even skipped a previous summit to avoid Trump's repeated self-aggrandizing narrative.