India rebukes Trump over 'hellhole' India remarks

India’s foreign ministry on Thursday pushed back against remarks shared by former U.S. President Donald Trump that described India as a “hellhole,” calling the language uninformed and inappropriate. Officials said the comments, circulated by Trump on his Truth Social account, did not include any additional statement from him beyond the repost.

The wording originated with conservative commentator Michael Savage during his talk radio program. In the segment, Savage also referenced China and argued that birthright citizenship enables people from those countries to come to the United States and later bring family members, while suggesting immigrant communities may lack loyalty.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the remarks did not match the reality of the India-U.S. relationship. He described that relationship as grounded in mutual respect and shared interests, and indicated the comments were out of step with how the two countries engage.

In New Delhi, the U.S. embassy responded by pointing to Trump’s past positive statements about India. The embassy’s message sought to underline that earlier public comments from Trump about India have been favorable, even as the repost drew a formal rebuttal from India’s government.

The episode comes as Trump continues to pursue restrictions on birthright citizenship in the United States. The source material says he recently appeared at a Supreme Court hearing connected to the issue, placing the reposted comments within a broader political push focused on citizenship rules and immigration.

Despite the current friction, the source material notes that Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi maintained warm relations during Trump’s previous term. That history is now intersecting with ongoing economic discussions between the two countries.

India and the United States are currently in trade negotiations aimed at avoiding tariff increases and expanding bilateral sales. The talks follow a period last year when India faced significant U.S. tariffs, according to the source material, making the diplomatic tone around the relationship a sensitive backdrop for market-facing negotiations.

What remains unclear from the information provided is whether the repost will have any direct effect on the pace or substance of the trade discussions, or whether either side will take additional diplomatic steps. For now, India’s response has focused on rejecting the characterization and reaffirming the stated basis of the bilateral relationship.