Trump enrages world’s most populated country as he calls it ‘hellhole’ | World | News
US President Donald Trump sparked outrage in India by describing the world’s most populous country as a “hellhole”. On Wednesday, Mr. Trump shared a four-page transcript of comments made by podcaster Michael Savage on the Truth Social platform, in which Mr. Savage accused people from India and China of abusing America’s birthright citizenship. “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,” he wrote.
Indian foreign ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal condemned these statements as “blatantly uninformed, inappropriate and in poor taste”. Without commenting on Mr Trump’s amplification of inflammatory language, he added: “They certainly do not reflect the reality of India-US relations, which have long been based on mutual respect and shared interests.”
The post also sparked outrage in India, with the main opposition Congress Party calling it “highly derogatory and anti-Indian”.
The Hindu American Foundation similarly condemned the comments and warned Mr. Trump that they amounted to “hateful, racist rhetoric targeting Indian and Chinese Americans.”
“As president of the United States, endorsing such nonsense will further fuel hatred and endanger our communities at a time when xenophobia and racism are already at an all-time high,” a spokesperson said.
“We are asking Donald Trump “I implore you to reconsider, delete this post, and recognize the indelible contributions of Asian Americans to our great country.”
This comes as tensions rise between Washington and Delhi after Mr. Trump imposed some of the highest tariffs on India and pressured Prime Minister Narendra Modi to halt purchases of Russian oil, saying it was aiding Moscow’s operations in Ukraine.
The US president’s second term has also been defined by a crackdown on immigration, including criticism of the H-1B visa plan that brought skilled workers, many of whom are Indian citizens, to the US.
His mission also preceded Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s first visit to India in May; because the two countries are trying to reset relations after the tension related to US customs policies.
