A post reshared by President Donald Trump on Truth Social earlier this week drew political outrage in India for calling the country a “hellhole on the planet,” with government officials criticizing the remarks as “inappropriate,” which could impact the president’s cordial ties with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meet in the Oval Office at the White House.
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In a post on Truth Social on Wednesday evening, Trump shared a four-page transcript of remarks made by conservative podcaster Michael Savage criticizing birthright citizenship, something the president is attempting to restrict.
In the transcript, Savage rails against birthright citizenship, saying: “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 “hellhole” remark was quickly picked up by the Indian media and drew immediate condemnation from several opposition leaders, who questioned Modi’s silence on the matter.
Mallikarjun Kharge, president of India’s principal opposition Congress Party, took a swipe at both Trump and Modi, tweeting: “Modi ji’s dear friend, ‘Namaste Trump’ has shared a note abusing India and using an extremely disparaging term.”
Mahua Moitra, an opposition lawmaker from West Bengal—where Modi is campaigning for a key regional election—tweeted at the prime minister saying his friend Trump “just called India a ‘hell hole’ and all Indians ‘gangsters with laptops’.”
During a weekly press conference on Wednesday, a spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs initially gave a muted response when asked about the post: “We have seen some reports. That is where I leave it.” However, as outrage and criticism grew, the ministry issued a stronger rebuke: “The remarks are obviously uninformed, inappropriate and in poor taste. They certainly do not reflect the reality of the India-US relationship, which has long been based on mutual respect and shared interests.” The U.S. Embassy in India also shared a statement with several outlets: “The president has said ‘India is a great country with a very good friend of mine at the top’.”
Since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, the X accounts operated by Iranian embassies around the world have made several posts mocking America and Trump with memes and AI-generated clips. The Iranian consulate in Hyderabad chimed in on the controversy, tweeting: “China and India are the cradles of Civilization. In fact, the hellhole is where its war-criminal president threatened to decimate the civilization in Iran.” The official account of the Iranian consulate in Mumbai tweeted a video showing off tourist spots in the city and its neighboring areas, and wrote: “Maybe someone should book a one-way cultural detox for Mr. Trump, it might just reduce the random bakwaas [nonsense].”
The criticism directed at Modi and his lack of response to the post could draw further political scrutiny in India over the prime minister's cordial ties with Trump. Modi has referred to Trump as his “dear friend,” while Trump has described the Indian Prime Minister as “one of my greatest friends”. The cordial ties stretch back to Trump’s first term, and in 2020 Modi held an event at the country’s largest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad, with more than 100,000 attendees, titled “Namaste Trump” when the president traveled to India. The close ties between the two countries have frayed since Trump’s return to office after he slapped India with 50% tariff—which included a 25% penalty for buying Russian oil. In February, Trump announced a lowered tariff rate of 18% for India and claimed the two sides had struck a trade deal that would see India open its markets to U.S. energy, technology, agricultural, coal and other goods. While the deal has not been finalized, opposition leaders have used it to attack Modi, accusing him of folding to Trump and opening India’s heavily protected agricultural sector.
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