India has sharply criticised comments shared by US President Donald Trump that described the country as a "hellhole," calling the remarks inconsistent with the strong ties between the two nations.
The comments originated with conservative talk show host Michael Savage on an episode of The Savage Nation, in which he argued against birthright citizenship in the United States. Trump reposted a transcript of the show on his Truth Social account on Thursday without adding any commentary of his own. "A baby here becomes an instant citizen, and then they bring the entire family in from China or India or some other hellhole on the planet," Savage said in the transcript. He also claimed there was "almost no loyalty to this country amongst the immigrant class coming in today," adding that recent arrivals were "not like the European Americans of today and their ancestors."
India's foreign ministry responded forcefully late on Thursday. "The remarks are obviously uninformed, inappropriate and in poor taste," foreign ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement. "They certainly do not reflect the reality of the India-US relationship, which has long been based on mutual respect and shared interests." The US embassy in New Delhi sought to distance the administration from the remarks, noting that Trump had previously described India as "a great country with a very good friend of mine at the top."
India's main opposition Congress party called the remark "extremely insulting and anti-India," saying it "hurts every Indian," and called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to raise the matter directly with Trump and lodge a formal objection.
The episode comes as Trump has been pushing to restrict birthright citizenship through an executive directive, a move currently being challenged before the US Supreme Court. Nearly 5.5 million people of Indian origin live in the United States, making Indian Americans one of the two largest Asian-origin groups in the country alongside Chinese Americans. China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Relations between Washington and New Delhi, which were notably warm during Trump's first term, cooled after India was hit with some of the highest US tariffs imposed last year, many of which have since been rolled back. The two countries are currently negotiating a trade deal aimed at preventing any renewed tariff increases and expanding bilateral commerce.
Source: Reuters