India voices anger after Trump shares comments calling it a ‘hellhole’

The Indian government has denounced a social media post shared by Donald Trump that described India as a “hellhole”, calling the comments inappropriate and “in poor taste”. On Wednesday, Trump posted a four-page transcription of remarks made by the conservative podcast host Michael Savage that denounced the US constitutional right to citizenship of everyone born in the country. Without evidence, the post accused Indian immigrants in the tech industry of not hiring white native-born Americans and inaccurately alleged that Indian immigrants lacked English proficiency. “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,” the post said. Trump also posted a video of Savage delivering the comments. The Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal condemned the remarks shared by the US president as “obviously uninformed, inappropriate and in poor taste”. He added: “They certainly do not reflect the reality of the India-US relationship, which has long been based on mutual respect and shared interests.” India’s main opposition National Congress party called the remarks “extremely insulting and anti-Indian”. The post also caused consternation in the US. The Hindu American Foundation advocacy group said it was disturbed by the “hateful, racist screed”. It wrote on X: “Endorsing such rants as the president of the United States will further stoke hatred and endanger our communities, at a time when xenophobia and racism are already at an all-time high.” Congressman Ami Bera, a Democrat whose parents are Indian immigrants, called the post by Trump “offensive, ignorant and beneath the dignity of the office he holds”. “President Trump, who was born into wealth and privilege, has never had to struggle the way so many immigrant families have,” he said. Trump, who has made a sweeping crackdown on immigration a signature policy, has taken aim at H-1B visas commonly used by Indian tech workers. The inflammatory post on Truth Social comes ahead of a planned visit next month to India by the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, who is seeking to ease recent tensions between the normally friendly powers. Relations with India have soured under Trump after he imposed some of his highest tariffs on India, allegedly over its continued purchase of Russian oil. The US president almost made his displeasure with Delhi known after the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, downplayed Trump’s mediation role during a conflict between India and Pakistan. Trump’s sparring with India stands in contrast to decades of efforts by successive US presidents to avoid friction and build relations with the world’s largest democracy, which US policymakers have seen as a counterweight to rival China.