The ministry of external affairs on Thursday responded to US President Donald Trump's repost of comments from a right-wing commentator who called India a “hellhole”, saying that the remarks were “uninformed, inappropriate and in poor taste”.
The ministry said that the remarks don't reflect “the reality of the India-US relationship.”
“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.
The statement 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.
What the post said
The host, whose ideology aligns with that of the US President, was arguing against US birthright citizenship, which guarantees automatic citizenship for almost anyone born within US territory, regardless of parentage. Savage argued that these issues should not be decided in courts, adding that “it is not really about law.” Instead, he said they should be decided by public opinion. He also criticised the US Constitution, saying it cannot be changed because it is “written in stone.”
{{/usCountry}}The host, whose ideology aligns with that of the US President, was arguing against US birthright citizenship, which guarantees automatic citizenship for almost anyone born within US territory, regardless of parentage. Savage argued that these issues should not be decided in courts, adding that “it is not really about law.” Instead, he said they should be decided by public opinion. He also criticised the US Constitution, saying it cannot be changed because it is “written in stone.”
{{/usCountry}}“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,” Savage said.
Donald Trump's clarification
Donald Trump issued a clarification on his “hellhole” comment on India, with a statement through the US Embassy in New Delhi on Thursday.
"The President has said, ‘India is a great country with a very good friend of mine at the top’,” a US Embassy spokesperson said.
When asked about the repost in his weekly press briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal shied away from directly responding to it and just said that they have "seen some reports".
“We have seen some reports. That's where I leave it,” Jaiswal said while responding to a question on Trump's repost.