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

India on Thursday criticized a post by Donald Trump as inappropriate, in which he shared comments calling the South Asian country a “hellhole”.

The provocative post on Truth Social comes ahead of a planned visit to India next month by US secretary of state Marco Rubio, who is looking to ease recent tensions between the normally friendly powers.

On Wednesday, Trump released a 4-page statement, apparently a copy of conservative podcast host Michael Savage’s remarks, denouncing the U.S. constitutional right to citizenship for anyone born in the country.

The post accused, without evidence, Indian immigrants in the tech industry of not hiring white native Americans and falsely claimed that Indian immigrants lacked English proficiency. Trump also released a video of Savage delivering these comments to podcast viewers.

“A baby here instantly becomes a citizen and then they bring the whole family over from China or India or some other hell on the planet,” the post said.

Indian foreign ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said the remarks were “clearly uninformed, inappropriate and in poor taste”.

“These certainly do not reflect the reality of India-US relations, which have long been based on mutual respect and shared interests.”

Democratic Congressman Ami Bera, whose parents are Indian immigrants, described Trump’s post as “offensive, ignorant and unbecoming of the dignity of his office.”

“Born into wealth and privilege, President Trump has never had to struggle the way so many immigrant families do,” she said.

The Hindu American Foundation, an advocacy group, said it was disturbed by “hateful, racist rhetoric.”

“Supporting this kind of nonsense as president of the United States will further fuel hatred and endanger our communities at a time when xenophobia and racism are already at an all-time high,” X wrote.

Trump, who has made a comprehensive crackdown on immigration his signature policy, targeted visas widely used by Indian tech workers.

He also maintained massive tariffs on India for months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi took umbrage with Trump downplaying his mediation during a conflict between India and Pakistan, which has been eagerly courting Trump.

Trump’s spat with India contrasts with decades of efforts by successive US presidents to avoid friction and build relations with the world’s largest democracy, which US policymakers see as a counterweight to rival China.