Fact Check: Shashi Tharoor slams Trump during all-party visit to US in 2025? No, find the facts here
A video of Shashi Tharoor has been circulating, claiming he criticised US president Trump during the ongoing Indian delegation’s visit to the USA about the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor.
By Md Mahfooz Alam
Claim:Congress MP Shashi Tharoor criticised US president Trump during the ongoing Indian delegation’s visit to the USA.
Fact:The claim is misleading. The video of Tharoor speaking about Trump is from the Jaipur Literature Festival held in the USA in September 2024.
Hyderabad: India has recently undertaken a significant diplomatic initiative by dispatching multiple all-party parliamentary delegations to various countries to present a united national front against terrorism and to counter Pakistan’s narrative following the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor led a delegation to the United States, where he emphasised India’s firm stance against terrorism. Tharoor highlighted India’s balanced approach of strategic restraint and decisive action in response to terrorism.
In this context, a video of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor allegedly criticising US president Donald Trump, where he compares Trump with other American presidents and describes him as neither agreeable nor pleasant, has been circulating on social media. Those sharing the video claim that Tharoor made these remarks during the ongoing Indian delegation’s visit to the US.
In the video clip, Tharoor could be heard saying, “Look, it is really not our place, especially since I have been introduced as a member of the Indian parliament and so on. I should not be commenting on political leaders in foreign countries on their soil. But having said it is also true that people have political preferences. And mine is not a political preference. I do not pay taxes here, so I do not care if they are higher or lower. I am not seeking to be an immigrant here; even when I had the right to apply, I did not. And therefore, I am not worried about their stand on immigration. Those are other issues. On policy issues, everybody in this hall is entitled to their own preferences. But just the personal manner strikes me as not entirely as agreeable or pleasant as one would like to see in a distinguished American political figure. I had the great honour of meeting four or five American presidents during my time in the US and having detailed conversations with both the Bushes with Clinton. Much briefly with Obama. I mean, these are people of a certain class, a certain distinction, and it is not politics. Two republicans on that list and two democrats. But there was a certain political heft, statesman-like gravitas and intellectual quality that I find woefully lacking in this gentleman.”
An X user shared the video and wrote, “No Class. No Statesman like Gravitas. Not even Intellectual Quality. Just a Thrash Got Lucky Twice. Modi chose Sashi Tharoor to give it back to Trump in the US itself. And Shashi Tharoor grabbed the opportunity and showed Trump a mirror to Trump on US soil without taking his name.” (Archive)
Another X user shared the video and wrote, “BREAKING: Shashi Tharoor is replying to Trump in the language he understands. Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has described President Donald Trump as a mean, vulgar and dignified person. Modiji must be thinking, ‘Why did I send him in the delegation?’” (Archive)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is misleading, as the video is from September 2024.
A reverse image search of keyframes from the video led us to a clip posted by the Instagram account Asia Society on September 24, 2024. This confirmed that the video is not from the recent delegation led by Shashi Tharoor to the US, which aimed to present India’s stance on terrorism.
The account attributed the quote to Tharoor’s appearance at the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) 2024, where he was asked about Donald Trump. Tharoor said, “But just the personal manner strikes me as not entirely as agreeable or pleasant as one would like to see in a distinguished American political figure.”
We also found the extended version of the video published on the YouTube account of the Asia Society, titled ‘Jaipur Literature Festival 2024 | Shashi Tharoor: A Man for All Seasons.’ This video shows Tharoor in conversation with India Today’s Aroon Purie and also answering questions from the audience.
According to the channel, Tharoor was speaking at the Jaipur Literature Festival in the US in September 2024.
We also found the image of Tharoor in conversation with Aroon Purie posted on the Instagram account of JLF International on September 11, 2024.
It is also to be noted that Trump was not the president of the USA at that time. Trump was elected president on January 20, 2025.
Did Tharoor slam Trump in the ongoing delegation visit to the USA?
On May 25, as per ANI News, Tharoor spoke about flourishing tourism in Kashmir and the militant motives behind targeting tourists based on their religion, aimed at creating discord between Hindus and Muslims. He also highlighted stories of Kashmiri Muslims protecting tourists and how the entire country stood united in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack. However, we found no instance of him criticising Trump in this video.
Hence, the claim that Tharoor slammed Trump during the ongoing delegation tour to the USA and other countries is misleading.
