The popular and polarizing Indian prime minister has advanced Hindu nationalism in his decade-long tenure.
The meeting between Modi with Trump had not been previously reported. The Republican presidential nominee referenced it for the first time while speaking at an unrelated event in Flint, Michigan. The Indian embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday night.
Earlier this year, Trump met with other foreign leaders, including Hungary's nationalist prime minister Viktor Orbán, whom he regularly mentions in speeches, and Polish President Andrzej Duda, who once proposed naming a military base in his country "Fort Trump." Trump also met with British Foreign Secretary David Cameron.
Foreign leaders have argued that meetings with Trump are part of standard encounters they have with opposition figures.