Trump Reposts Michael Savage Video Calling India a Hellhole, Sparks India Backlash

US President Donald Trump reposted a video and comments calling India a “hellhole,” triggering a diplomatic backlash from India and a rapid damage-control response from Washington.

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Deccan Herald

The South China Morning Post reported that Trump reposted “a video and a screed apparently written by someone else” and that the post said, “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.”

Deccan Herald

The Guardian similarly described the post on Truth Social as inflammatory and said Trump shared a “4-page screed” that denounced the US constitutional right to citizenship of everyone born in the country.

The Times of India said the US embassy in New Delhi was in “full damage-control mode” after the post referred to India and China as “hell holes,” while Hindustan Times reported that the US embassy later issued a clarification that Trump believes India is a “great” country led by a “good friend of mine at the top.”

In the underlying material Trump reposted, the comments were attributed to conservative radio host Michael Savage, and multiple outlets tied the controversy to Savage’s critique of birthright citizenship and claims about migrants.

The dispute unfolded as India signaled displeasure without directly criticizing Trump, with MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal saying, “We’ve seen some reports. That’s where I’ll leave it.”

India’s foreign ministry criticized Trump’s repost as inappropriate and said it did not reflect the India-US relationship.

The Guardian reported that Indian foreign ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal responded that the remarks were “obviously uninformed, inappropriate and in poor taste,” and added that “They certainly do not reflect the reality of the India-US relationship, which has long been based on mutual respect and shared interests.”

Hindustan Times

The same language appeared in NDTV, where Jaiswal said, “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.”

WION described the US response as damage control, quoting a US Embassy spokesperson who said, “The President has said India is a great country with a very good friend of mine at the top,” and tying it to Trump’s personal rapport with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

India Today also quoted Jaiswal’s statement and said India “lashed out” at Trump for endorsing the post, repeating that the remarks were “uninformed, inappropriate, in poor taste” and “not reflective of the broader bilateral relationship.”

The South China Morning Post likewise said India’s foreign ministry called the remarks “obviously uninformed, inappropriate and in poor taste” and “in poor taste,” and it placed the criticism in the context of a planned visit next month to India by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

US officials moved quickly to contain the fallout, emphasizing Trump’s praise for India and his relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“India slams Trump's 'hellhole' jibe, says comments uninformed, inappropriate India criticised US President Donald Trump for amplifying a post that referred to India as a "hellhole on the planet," calling the remarks uninformed, inappropriate, in poor taste and not reflective of the broader bilateral relationship”

India Today

WION reported that the US Embassy in New Delhi highlighted India as a “great country” and underscored strong ties with its leadership, quoting a US Embassy spokesperson: “The President has said India is a great country with a very good friend of mine at the top,” in an attempt to ease tensions after the post triggered a strong reaction.

Hindustan Times similarly said the US embassy released a statement that Trump believes India is a “great” country led by a “good friend of mine at the top,” and it described the embassy’s move as coming “Later, in a damage-control move.”

The Times of India added that spokesperson Christopher Elm sought to defuse tensions by quoting Trump’s past praise for India and Modi, and it cited Elm’s reference to Trump’s October 2025 remarks at a world leaders’ summit.

Beyond official channels, the controversy drew criticism from US-based advocacy groups and Indian political figures.

NDTV reported that the Hindu American Foundation said it was “deeply disturbed” by the content and urged Trump “to reconsider, delete this post and recognise the indelible contributions of Asian Americans to our great country.”

Multiple outlets traced the controversy to the content Trump reposted from conservative radio host Michael Savage, including claims about birthright citizenship and immigration.

The Guardian said Trump posted a “4-page screed” apparently transcribed from Savage and that it “denounced the US constitutional right to citizenship of everyone born in the country,” while also accusing Indian immigrants in the tech industry of not hiring white native-born Americans and alleging they lack English proficiency.

News18

The South China Morning Post reported that the post accused Indian immigrants in the tech industry of not hiring white native-born Americans and “inaccurately alleged that Indian immigrants lack English proficiency,” and it said Trump reposted a video and “a screed apparently written by someone else.”

India Today described how the controversy erupted after Trump reposted content from Savage on Truth Social, saying Savage argued against the Citizenship Clause and claimed the policy is misused by immigrants from countries such as India and China.

The Times | Western Mainstream added that Savage urged the president to ignore the Supreme Court if it rules against him, and it quoted Savage saying, “Meaning, he said, ‘go screw themselves. I hold all the power with the military’. That’s what he said to the Supreme Court.”

Hindustan Times reported that the transcript mainly criticized the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), accusing it of backing policies that allegedly benefit undocumented immigrants over US citizens, and it quoted Savage’s line that “the country has been stolen from us by these effing lawyers.”

The repost landed amid an ongoing US legal fight over birthright citizenship, and outlets tied the controversy to the Supreme Court’s role in the dispute.

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News18

The Times | Western Mainstream said the Supreme Court will rule on the legality of Trump’s move later this year and described Trump’s effort to scrap the rule that being born in the US automatically confers citizenship.

South China Morning Post

It also reported that Trump went in person to listen to oral arguments earlier this month, becoming the first sitting president to attend a Supreme Court hearing, and it described his social-media feud with the justices after they ruled his use of emergency powers to impose sweeping tariffs illegal earlier this year.

The Federal | Western Alternative added that the US Supreme Court heard arguments earlier this month in Trump vs Barbara, a case challenging the president’s executive order denying citizenship to children born in the US to parents on temporary visas or without legal status.

Meanwhile, the diplomatic stakes for US-India relations were linked to the planned visit next month by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, which the Guardian and South China Morning Post said was intended to ease recent tensions.

In India, opposition voices also pressed Prime Minister Narendra Modi to respond, with India Today reporting that Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge questioned Modi’s silence and asked whether he will get some time to react to “intimidation” and “indignation” of 140 crore Indians.