US President Donald Trumpย on Thursday (April 23) issued a clarification over remarks that appeared to describe India as a “hellhole,”ย with the US Embassy in New Delhi stating putting out a message that the American leader believes India is a “great” country led by a “good friend of mine”.
The spokesperson’s statement came in response to queries from the Indian media about the controversy created by Trump reposting on social media comments by radio show host Michael Savage that referred to India, China and some other countries as “hellholes”.
India is a great country: US
The President has said “India is a great country with a very good friend of mine at the top”, the spokesperson of the US embassy said.
The spokesperson did not specify where and when Trump made the remarks that India is a great country.
MEA response on Trump’s remark
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday reacted to reports of US President Trump resharing a video that referred to India and China in derogatory terms, saying it had “seen some reports” but declined further comment.
Addressing a weekly media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “We’ve seen some reports. That’s where I’ll leave it.”
What’s the ‘hellhole’ row?
In the clip, Savage criticised existing immigration laws, alleging that they allow individuals to exploit legal provisions by travelling to the US late in pregnancy to secure citizenship for their children.
In the video, Savage claimed that such practices create a loophole whereby “a baby here becomes an instant citizen”, followed by family migration from countries including “China or India or some other hellhole on the planet”.
The footage, originally aired on the Newsmax series The Savage Nation, was highlighted by the “Commentary Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social” account, which serves as a platform dedicated to reposting the President’s social media activity.
In the clip, Savage expressed deep frustration with the judicial process, stating, “Today’s brief, abbreviated discussion will be about the arguments that I just listened to before the Supreme Court about birthright citizenship. I was somewhat incensed by listening to the arguments because all I heard was legalese being bandied back and forth.”
He criticised the role of legal advocacy groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), accusing them of influencing immigration policy. “The person bringing the arguments in favour of flooding America with illegal aliens to change the demographics forever was a Chinese American who looks to me like the classic ACLU attorney. Very smart, very evil, and very devious,” Savage remarked.
“The ACLU is the head of the snake. They have been forever, and there they were again trying to turn America into a cesspool,” he added.
The commentator further argued that the issue extends beyond legal interpretation and should instead be addressed through public opinion, suggesting that birthright citizenship be subjected to a national vote.ย
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