A social media repost by Donald Trump has triggered a sharp diplomatic response from India, and a pointed political attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at home. The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday called Trump's endorsement of a post describing India as a "hellhole on the planet" as "uninformed, inappropriate and in poor taste," while the US Embassy scrambled to contain the fallout.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal did not mince words. "We have seen the comments, as also the subsequent statement issued by the US Embassy in response. 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," he said.

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How it started

The controversy began when Trump reposted content on Truth Social from conservative radio host Michael Savage. This included both a transcript and a video clip from his Savage Nation podcast. Savage had been arguing against the Citizenship Clause, the constitutional provision that grants citizenship to most children born on US soil, including those whose parents are undocumented or temporarily residing in the country.

In the content Trump amplified, Savage claimed the policy is exploited by immigrants from countries including India and China. "A baby here becomes an instant citizen, and then they bring in their entire family from China, or India or some other hellhole on the planet," the post stated.

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The letter accompanying Savage's remarks went further, describing Indian and Chinese immigrants as "gangsters with laptops" who have "stepped on our flag."

India's response: measured, then direct

India's initial reaction was deliberately restrained. Earlier in the day, before the MEA's formal statement, Jaiswal had responded to questions about the controversy with: "We've seen some reports. That's where I'll leave it."

By Thursday, however, New Delhi's language had sharpened considerably, signalling that the remarks had landed harder than the initial non-response suggested.

Hours after Trump's post, the US Embassy moved quickly to limit the damage, emphasising Washington's ties with India. "The President has said 'India is a great country with a very good friend of mine at the top'," an embassy spokesperson said.

The legal context behind Trump's repost

Trump's amplification of Savage's remarks is tied to an ongoing legal battle over birthright citizenship. His administration is challenging lower court rulings that blocked an executive order, signed shortly after he returned to office in January 2025, aimed at limiting automatic citizenship for children born to parents living in the US illegally or on temporary visas. Several courts have blocked the order's implementation, with at least one judge describing it as unconstitutional.

(With inputs from PTI)

Published on: Apr 24, 2026 7:31 AM IST