The Ministry of External Affairs on Saturday refuted a report by The New York Times that billionaire Elon Musk had joined a telephone call between United States President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, ANI reported.
“We have seen the story,” the news agency quoted the ministry spokesperson as having said. “The telephone conversation on March 24 was between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump only.”
The discussion provided an opportunity “for exchange of views” on the situation in West Asia, the ministry added.
On Friday, The New York Times reported, quoting two unidentified US officials, that it was unclear what why Musk had joined the call and if he had spoken. The US-based newspaper described Musk’s alleged participation as an “unusual appearance by a private citizen on a call between two heads of state during a wartime crisis”.
Musk is not known to be currently associated with the Trump administration.
In May, he had quit as a special government employee of the US Department of Government Efficiency under the Trump administration. The advisory body – run by Musk at the time – had been created through an executive order by Trump on his first day in office in January 2025. It aimed to “modernise federal technology and software to maximise governmental efficiency and productivity”.
Once strong allies, Musk and Trump had a public feud in July.
Musk’s companies have investments in West Asian countries, the newspaper reported. The billionaire’s auto manufacturer Tesla started selling its cars in India in July and his satellite internet venture Starlink has been cleared to operate in the country. Musk also owns social media platform X.
He has not yet commented on the newspaper report.
Asked about The New York Times’ report, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Friday told PTI that Trump “has a great relationship with Prime Minister Modi, and this was a productive conversation”.
On Tuesday, New Delhi and Washington had confirmed the phone call between Modi and Trump, but had not mentioned Musk.
Claims pose ‘serious questions’, says Congress
The Congress had said on Saturday that The New York Times report about Musk having allegedly participated in the call poses “serious questions” and that the country “deserves clear answers”.
The Opposition party asked why a businessman was present when leaders of two countries were discussing a global crisis and what role Musk played in the conversation.
“Was this truly about the West Asia crisis, or was there another ‘business’ agenda?” the Congress had asked on social media before the external affairs ministry commented on the matter. “Why did the Modi government not disclose Musk’s presence? Why are we learning about this from another country instead of our own government?”
It added: “Trump spoke to leaders of different countries during the war, but no businessman was on any of those calls. Why did this happen only with Modi? The White House described the talks as productive. But productive for whom?”
The Congress alleged that Modi was “simply following Trump’s direction” and that “he’s more of a manager being controlled from behind the scenes than a leader”.
On Tuesday, Modi had said that he and Trump had a “useful exchange of views” on the situation in West Asia.
“India supports de-escalation and restoration of peace at the earliest,” Modi had said on social media. “Ensuring that the Strait of Hormuz remains open, secure and accessible is essential for the whole world. We agreed to stay in touch regarding efforts towards peace and stability.”
Just 0.2% of readers pay for news. The others don’t care if it dies. You can help make a difference. Support independent journalism – join Scroll now.
We’re not driven by clicks or corporate interests – just honest, independent reporting. Keep us going. Support Scroll today!