India has dismissed as “uninformed” comments shared by US President Donald Trump that described the country as a “hellhole”, saying they were inappropriate and inconsistent with the strong relationship between the two countries.
The comments, made by conservative commentator Michael Savage in an episode of The Savage Nation talk radio show, were posted on Trump’s Truth Social account without any commentary. Savage said, “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.”
India’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, reacted strongly to the comments, stating that they are uninformed, inappropriate, and 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 also commented, saying Trump considers India a great country with a very good friend at the top.
India’s main opposition Congress party called the “hellhole” remark extremely insulting and anti-Indian, urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to register a strong objection with the US President. Indian government data shows nearly 5.5 million people of Indian origin live in the United States, making Indian Americans and Chinese Americans the two biggest groups of Asian origin in the country.
Relations between India and the US cooled after India was hit with some of the highest US tariffs last year, many of which were rolled back this year. The two countries are now working on a trade deal aimed at preventing any renewed increase in tariffs and boosting sales to each other.