By Kanishka SinghWASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House announced that U.S. President Donald Trump and visiting Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a rare joint press conference in Washington on Thursday. This press briefing by the Indian leader is a significant occasion as Modi is not known for frequently engaging with the media in this format. While Modi did hold a press conference with former President Joe Biden during a visit in 2023, he typically limits his interactions with the press to occasional interviews, especially during election periods. Since assuming office as prime minister in 2014, Modi has not conducted any press conferences in India. There was an instance in May 2019 when Modi attended a press conference but did not entertain any questions from the media.
The discussions between Modi and Trump are anticipated to cover various key areas such as bilateral trade, energy cooperation, technology ties, and immigration policies. The joint press conference with Trump is scheduled for 1710 ET (2200 GMT) as communicated by the White House on Wednesday.
During the 2023 event with President Biden, Modi faced a question regarding religious discrimination in India, to which he denied any existence of such discrimination. This assertion was refuted and dismissed by human rights advocates who have extensively documented instances of abuse against minority groups in India. Following the incident, the journalist who raised the question faced online attacks from supporters of Modi, prompting condemnation from the Biden administration.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Don Durfee and Clarence Fernandez)
