Donald Trump's “hellhole” jab at India invited trolling from Iran, which asked the US president to go for a “one-way cultural detox”, hoping that it might “just reduce the random bakwaas”.
Trump on Thursday shared a post which referred to India, China, and some other nations as "hellholes" over birthright citizenship issue.
In a post on X, the handle of Iran consulate general in Maharashtra's Mumbai posted a video displaying two sides of Maharashtra - one highlighting the dynamic pace of city life, including BEST buses, roads and highways, and the other capturing the state’s scenic beauty with its waterfalls and mountains.
The handle captioned the post as, “Maybe someone should book a one-way cultural detox for Mr. #Trump, it might just reduce the random bakwaas [nonsense].”
“Kabhi #India aa ke dekho, phir bolna,” it added.
Another X handle of Iran in Hyderabad took a swipe at Trump, saying India and China are “cradles of civilisation.” It added that the “hellhole” is a place where “a war-criminal president” threatens to decimate an entire civilisation.
{{/usCountry}}Another X handle of Iran in Hyderabad took a swipe at Trump, saying India and China are “cradles of civilisation.” It added that the “hellhole” is a place where “a war-criminal president” threatens to decimate an entire civilisation.
{{/usCountry}}“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 post read.
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In another post, the handle shared an image – which appears to be part of the transcript Trump had posted, saying, “Every day, with a new post, Trump's inhumanity proves to be beyond infinity. This is the racism itself.”
What did Trump post?
The outrage comes after Trump on Thursday posted a transcript of a conservative political talk show hosted by Michael Savage, which referred to India, China, and other nations as "hellholes"—places from where people come to Washington in their ninth month of pregnancy and instantly become US citizens.
“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. You don't have to go too far to see that. English is not spoken here anymore. There’s almost no loyalty to this country among the immigrant class coming in today, which was not always the case.”
India condemns remark
The ministry of external affairs responded to Trump's repost of comments, saying that the remarks were “uninformed, inappropriate and in poor taste”.
“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,” the MEA statement read.
‘India is a great country’, clarifies Trump
Trump issued a clarification on his “hellhole” comment on India, with a statement through Washington's Embassy in New Delhi.
"The President has said, ‘India is a great country with a very good friend of mine at the top’,” a US Embassy spokesperson said.
His clarification comes after his comments stirred widespread criticism in India, with the opposition asking PM Modi to take up this matter with the US President and register a strong objection.”
“US President Trump has called India a 'HELLHOLE.' This statement is extremely insulting and anti-India. It hurts every Indian. Prime Minister Narendra Modi should take up this matter with the US President and register a strong objection,” a post from Congress on X read.