Fact Check: Indian journo mocked during Trump-Modi press conference? No, viral clip is from 2020
A video circulating on social media claims that American journalists mocked an Indian reporter during the Trump-Modi press conference on February 13.
By Md Mahfooz Alam Published on 15 Feb 2025 6:27 PM IST
Claim: The video shows American journalists mocking the questions asked by an Indian reporter during the Trump-Modi joint press conference on February 13, 2025.
Fact: The claim is misleading. The viral clip is from Trump's February 26, 2020 press conference on the coronavirus outbreak, not the 2025 Trump-Modi joint press conference.
During the joint press conference between U.S. President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 13, 2025, Trump allegedly dodged a question from an Indian journalist about anti-India activities in the U.S., remarking, āI cannot understand a word he is sayingā due to the reporterās accent.
In this context, a video circulating on social media shows an Indian journalist questioning Trump about India-U.S. relations, his trip to India, his popularity in India, and Modiās popularity in the U.S., while a journalist seated behind him giggles and hides her face. Social media users linked this clip to the February 13 press conference, claiming that the American reporter was mocking the Indian journalist.
An X user shared the video with the caption, āAmerican journalists are laughing at the stupidity of Indiaās brainless spineless journalists during the joint Trump-Modi press conference!ā (Archive)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found the claim misleading, as the viral clip is from Trumpās press conference on the coronavirus outbreak held in 2020.
A reverse image search of keyframes from the video led us to a post by Damon Imani, an Iranian producer and commentator based in Denmark. On February 27, 2020, Imani shared the same clip on X, identifying the Indian journalist as Raghubir Goyal, a White House reporter, and the journalist in the green dress laughing in the background as Ebony Bowden.
A keyword search led us to a February 28, 2020, India Today report titled, āNY Post Journo Mocks, Makes Faces at Indian Reporter at Trump Presser in Viral Video. Twitter is Furious.ā The report included a screengrab from the same video.
According to the report, a video clip from Trumpās White House press conference on COVID-19, held on February 26, 2020, surfaced online, showing a New York Post journalist seemingly mocking an Indian reporter as he asked about India-U.S. relations following Trumpās visit to India. The journalistās gestures sparked outrage among netizens.
Other news outlets, including International Business Times and Catch News, also reported on the incident in February 2020, stating that during Trumpās COVID-19 press conference, New York Post journalist Ebony Bowden was caught on camera laughing at Indian White House reporter Raghubir Goyal.
We also reviewed Trumpās February 26, 2020, press conference on COVID-19, which was live-streamed by CNBC TV under the title, āPresident Trump Addresses Coronavirus Outbreak at News Conference.ā The press conference, which featured Trump and other U.S. officials, did not include PM Modi.
At the 25:41-minute mark of the CNBC video, Raghubir Goyal can be heard asking about India-U.S. relations, Trumpās trip to India, his popularity in India, and Modiās popularity in the U.S.
Hence, we conclude that the viral clip is not from the Trump-Modi joint press conference on February 13, 2025. Instead, it is from Trumpās February 26, 2020, press conference on the coronavirus outbreak. The claim is misleading.
