MISLEADING: White House Unfollowed PM Modi? Old News Shared Out of Context

Amid growing tensions between India and the U.S. over various issues, a claim has gone viral on social media about a supposed diplomatic escalation.

The claim suggests that as Donald Trump prepares to take office as the next U.S. president, the official White House account has unfollowed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Twitter (now X).

Fact Crescendo received multiple fact-check requests about this claim through its WhatsApp Tipline (9049053770).

We found that the viral claim is misleading and taken out of context. 

The White House did follow and later unfollow PM Modi on Twitter (now X), but this happened in 2020—four years ago—not in connection with newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump.

WHAT’S THE CLAIM?

Viral posts include a screenshot of a news headline with the AajTak logo, stating: “White House unfollowed PM Modi on Twitter.” 

Many social media users are linking this to Trump’s election victory, implying it was a recent development.

The claim has generated mixed reactions online, with some expressing disappointment over the supposed snub and others using it to mock supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). 

Original Post – Twitter | Archive

Original Post – Facebook

FACT-CHECK

A keyword search led us to the original news report published by AajTak on 29 April 2020.

As per the report, following India’s decision to export hydroxychloroquine to the U.S., the White House followed Prime Minister Modi’s Twitter account on April 10, 2020.

Earlier, in February 2020, during President Trump’s visit to India, the White House had followed several key Indian Twitter (now X) accounts, including the PM Office, Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Indian Embassy in the U.S., the U.S. Embassy in India, and Ken Juster, the U.S. Ambassador to India at the time.

However, on 29 April 2020, the White House unfollowed all these accounts related to India. 

This ‘unfollowing’ incident drew a strong political reaction in India. 

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tweeted that he was “dismayed” by the unfollowing of PM Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind on Twitter while urging the Ministry of External Affairs “to take note” over the incident. 

Original Post – Twitter (now X)

Why Did the White House Unfollow?

After the uproar, the White House clarified why it unfollowed PM Modi and other Indian accounts on Twitter (now X).

The White House and other government accounts typically follow the Twitter (now X) handles of foreign leaders during important diplomatic events, such as summits or visits.

“The White House Twitter account normally follows senior U.S. government Twitter accounts, and others as appropriate. For example, during the time of a presidential visit, the account typically follows for a short time, the host country’s officials to retweet their messages in support of the visit,” a senior administration official told PTI.

In simple terms, the White House may unfollow accounts when the purpose of the visit or diplomatic engagement is over.

Original News – The Hindu

Currently, President Joe Biden’s administration handles the Twitter (now X) account of the White House. 

President-elect Trump will be sworn in as the 47th president of the U.S. on 20 January. After that, Twitter (now X) will transfer official White House accounts to his team.

As of now, the White House does not follow Donald Trump’s personal Twitter account.

CONCLUSION

The news of the White House unfollowing PM Modi on Twitter (now X) account dates back to 2020, during Donald Trump’s first term. It is not a recent development and has no connection to the current U.S. government. The news being shared is outdated and has been taken out of context.

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