Gautam Adani Met Donald Trump Jr During India Visit Before US DOJ Dropped Fraud Case: Report
Donald Trump Jr held a private meeting with Indian billionaire Gautam Adani in Ahmedabad during a November visit to India, according to a Bloomberg report. The meeting occurred while Adani was facing US federal bribery charges that were later dropped by the Department of Justice. Representatives for Trump Jr said the meeting had 'zero to do' with the DOJ's decision to end the case.
A previously undisclosed meeting between Donald Trump Jr and Indian billionaire Gautam Adani took place in Ahmedabad last year while the Adani Group chairman was facing federal bribery charges in the United States, according to a report by Bloomberg.
The meeting reportedly occurred during Trump Jr's visit to India in November, a trip that included attendance at a wedding and a visit to a wildlife sanctuary. According to people familiar with the matter cited by Bloomberg, Trump Jr made an unpublicised stop in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, where he met privately with Adani. Details of the discussion have not been disclosed. US To Drop Criminal Case Against Gautam Adani: Justice Department Set To Withdraw USD 265 Million Bribery and Fraud Charges, Says Report.
Donald Trump Jr Met Gautam Adani in India Amid US Bribery Case
According to Bloomberg, the previously undisclosed meeting took place in Ahmedabad, in the western Indian state of Gujarat, where the Adani Group is headquartered.
The meeting came roughly a year after US prosecutors accused Gautam Adani and his nephew, Sagar Adani, of orchestrating an alleged bribery scheme in India. Both have consistently denied the allegations. Gautam Adani Agrees To Pay USD 6 Million To Settle US SEC Fraud Case, Rahul Gandhi Targets PM Narendra Modi Over ‘Adani Release Deal’.
Last month, the US Department of Justice moved to drop the federal case against Adani, ending a legal battle that had attracted significant attention in both India and the United States.
Trump Jr Spokesperson Denies Link to DOJ Decision
A spokesperson for Trump Jr., cited by Bloomberg, said the meeting had “zero to do” with the DOJ’s decision to drop its federal case, brought by the Biden administration, against Adani.
Adani and his company have vehemently denied the federal charges, which were dropped last month following reports that the billionaire’s lawyers offered to invest USD 10 billion in the US.
Bloomberg also reported, citing an unnamed source close to Trump Jr., that Adani's younger son, Jeet Adani, met with the president's son at Mar-a-Lago last year. The unnamed source claimed the DOJ case was not discussed in either of the two meetings.
Adani's Outreach and Legal Strategy
The report comes amid scrutiny of efforts undertaken by Adani and his advisers during the legal proceedings. Following Donald Trump's re-election, Adani publicly praised the US president-elect, calling him the “embodiment of unbreakable tenacity, unshakeable grit, relentless determination.”
According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, Adani hired Boris Epshteyn, a key adviser and personal lawyer to President Donald Trump, to assist with his defense strategy. However, the publication reported that Epshteyn did not attend meetings with prosecutors and was not listed in Adani's legal filings. The billionaire's legal representation in the case was handled by the law firm Sullivan & Cromwell, which also represents Trump.
Adani Wealth Climbs After Case Dropped
The developments have coincided with a sharp rise in Gautam Adani's wealth. According to Forbes' Real-Time Billionaires list, Adani's estimated net worth stood at USD 88.6 billion as of Tuesday morning, making him the second-richest Indian and second-richest Asian, behind Mukesh Ambani.
His wealth has increased by nearly USD 8 billion since the DOJ dropped the case last month, despite broader volatility in Indian markets linked to geopolitical tensions, including the conflict involving Iran. Earlier this month, Adani briefly became Asia's richest person, overtaking both Mukesh Ambani and SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son before returning to the second position.
Neither Bloomberg's report nor public statements from the parties involved disclosed what was discussed during the Ahmedabad meeting.
While representatives for Trump Jr. and sources close to both sides have maintained that the DOJ case was not a topic of discussion, the revelation of the meeting is likely to attract attention given the timing and the broader legal and political context surrounding Adani's business interests in the United States.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 24, 2026 08:17 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
