In filings by US lobbying firm, a glimpse of Modi government’s strategy to engage with Trump

Flagging social media posts by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Forty-four phone calls to “discuss US-India relations” between Indian officials and senior members of the American government in the first six months of 2026. A pitch to a Fox News host to interview the Indian ambassador to the US.

These were among the activities mediated by SHW Partners LLC, a major lobbying firm hired by the Indian embassy in the US after Donald Trump returned to the White House for a second term in January 2025.

The Indian embassy also hired Mercury Public Affairs as a lobbyist, The Indian Express reported this week. Both firms were headed by close aides of Trump, the paper said.

A closer reading of the public disclosures filed under the US Foreign Agents Registration Act by the lobbying firm paints a vivid picture of the purpose and nature of communications between India and the US.

These filings, which detail political activities undertaken on behalf of foreign principals, show that more than two dozen exchanges between officials of the two countries involved discussions related to the media or social media.

Managing perceptions

“A lot of foreign governments spend a lot of money when it comes to influencing Washington’s policies,” said Raqib Naik, Executive Director of the Center for the Study of Organized Hate, a Washington-based...

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