The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday it had “seen some reports” about US President Donald Trump amplifying remarks by an American commentator who referred to India as a “hell-hole”.
“We have seen some reports. That’s where I will leave it,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, without elaborating.
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The restrained response came after Trump reposted content from conservative radio host Michael Savage’s podcast Savage Nation, in which Michael Savage called for an end to the United States’ birthright citizenship law and described India, China and other nations as “hell-holes.”
“A baby here becomes an instant citizen, and then they bring in their entire family from China, or India, or some other hell-hole on the planet,” Michael Savage wrote in a letter accompanying the podcast. Michael Savage also described Indian and Chinese immigrants as “gangsters with laptops” who had caused more damage to the United States “than all the mafia families put together” and had “stepped on our flag.”
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Trump shared both the video and full transcript of the podcast and criticised the US Supreme Court’s deliberations on birthright citizenship, backing Michael Savage’s call for a national referendum on the issue.
The Congress party earlier demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi formally protest the remarks to Trump, calling the comments “extremely insulting and anti-India.”
“Trump has repeatedly made insulting remarks about India, and Modi has remained silent,” the party said in a post on X (formerly Twitter), adding, “Narendra Modi is a weak PM and the entire country is bearing the brunt of it.”
