Trump Reposts Savage Remarks Calling India a ‘Hellhole,’ India Condemns

United States President Donald Trump triggered a diplomatic backlash after he reposted remarks describing India as a “hellhole” on Truth Social, drawing a direct rebuke from India’s government and sparking criticism across both countries.

“Comments shared by United States President Donald Trump referring to India as a “hellhole” were “in poor taste” and at odds with the countries’ relationship, an Indian official has said”

Al Jazeera

Multiple outlets reported that Trump shared a four-page transcript of comments made by conservative podcast host Michael Savage, and that the post accused Indian immigrants in the tech industry of not hiring white native-born Americans while also alleging Indian immigrants lacked English proficiency.

Al Jazeera

The core line quoted in the coverage came from Savage’s remarks: “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,” which Trump amplified without comment in the reposts described by Reuters and others.

India’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal condemned the repost as “obviously uninformed, inappropriate and in poor taste,” and said the remarks “certainly do not reflect the reality of the India-US relationship, which has long been based on mutual respect and shared interests.”

The US Embassy in New Delhi responded to the controversy by saying, “The president has said ‘India is a great country with a very good friend of mine at the top’.”

In the US political arena, Congressman Ami Bera, a Democrat whose parents are Indian immigrants, called the repost “offensive, ignorant and beneath the dignity of the office he holds,” while the Hindu American Foundation said it was disturbed by the “hateful, racist screed.”

The “hellhole” repost was tied in the reporting to a broader US legal and political fight over birthright citizenship, with Savage’s transcript attacking the US constitutional right to citizenship for people born in the country.

The Guardian described that Trump’s post “denounced the US constitutional right to citizenship of everyone born in the country,” and said the repost included claims about immigrants in the tech industry and English proficiency.

BBC

The Hill reported that Trump shared a transcript of Savage’s remarks about the constitutional right to birthright citizenship, and it quoted Savage saying, “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,” as well as Savage’s additional claims about English and loyalty.

The Independent and BBC similarly linked the repost to Savage’s arguments about birthright citizenship, with the BBC quoting the same “A baby here becomes an instant citizen” line and describing that Savage accused people from India and China of abusing the privilege.

The Independent also included Savage’s further language, quoting him saying, “They've done more damage to this nation than all the mafia families put together,” and “Gangsters with laptops,” while describing his claims about hiring and loyalty.

In the background of the controversy, The Independent reported that Trump had signed an executive order in January 2025 directing federal agencies not to recognise citizenship in certain cases involving children born in the US to mothers in the country unlawfully or on temporary visas, and that the issue was now before the US Supreme Court.

The Hill added that the issue is “now before the Supreme Court,” and that oral arguments were heard earlier this month as Trump watched inside the courtroom.

India’s government response combined formal condemnation with a sequence of statements that shifted from restrained to more direct criticism as the controversy grew.

The BBC reported that India’s main opposition Congress party called the remarks “extremely insulting and anti-Indian,” and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take up the matter with the US President and register a strong objection.

The Hill described that Shri Randhir Jaiswal, a spokesperson for India’s Ministry of Government Affairs, pushed back against Savage’s comments in a statement Thursday, repeating the line that the remarks were “obviously uninformed, inappropriate and in poor taste.”

The Guardian and Al Jazeera both quoted Jaiswal’s argument that the remarks “certainly do not reflect the reality of the India-US relationship, which has long been based on mutual respect and shared interests.”

In the US, the US Embassy in New Delhi issued a clarification, with Al Jazeera quoting it saying, “The president has said ‘India is a great country with a very good friend of mine at the top’.”

The Independent added that the White House defended Trump’s repost, quoting spokesperson Kush Desai as saying the president was “calling out the scam of unfettered birthright citizenship,” and it also cited a New York Times report on that defense.

The Guardian also reported that the controversy “caused consternation in the US,” quoting the Hindu American Foundation’s post on X warning that endorsing such rants would “further stoke hatred and endanger our communities.”

In the same thread of US political reaction, Congressman Ami Bera said, “President Trump, who was born into wealth and privilege, has never had to struggle the way so many immigrant families have,” linking the repost to a broader immigration crackdown described in the coverage.

Beyond India’s foreign ministry, the repost drew criticism from India’s opposition parties and from US lawmakers and advocacy groups, with the controversy framed as both insulting and potentially dangerous.

Al Jazeera reported that India’s main opposition Congress party called the “hellhole” remark “extremely insulting and anti-India. It hurts every Indian,” and it added that the party said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should take up the matter with the US President and register a strong objection.

Forbes

The Guardian described that India’s main opposition National Congress party called the remarks “extremely insulting and anti-Indian,” and it also reported that the post caused consternation in the US, citing the Hindu American Foundation’s warning about “hateful, racist screed.”

The Hill reported that the main opposition party in India denounced the remark as “extremely insulting and anti-India” and called on Modi to “register a strong objection” directly to Trump, while also quoting the Congress Party’s post on X saying, “Trump has repeatedly made insulting remarks about India, and Modi has remained SILENT,” and adding, “Narendra Modi is a WEAK PM, and the entire country is bearing the brunt of it.”

In the US, the Independent reported that Representative Grace Meng said she was “disgusted” by the post and warned that amplifying such language risked worsening hostility at a time when hate incidents affecting South Asian communities were rising.

The Guardian also reported that Congressman Ami Bera called the post “offensive, ignorant and beneath the dignity of the office he holds,” and it connected the repost to Trump’s broader immigration agenda and his aim at H-1B visas commonly used by Indian tech workers.

Forbes similarly described that the post drew immediate condemnation from opposition leaders and quoted Mallikarjun Kharge tweeting, “Modi ji’s dear friend, ‘Namaste Trump’ has shared a note abusing India and using an extremely disparaging term.”

The same Forbes account quoted Mahua Moitra tweeting that Trump “just called India a ‘hell hole’ and all Indians ‘gangsters with laptops’,” tying the “hellhole” label to the Savage transcript’s additional language.

The “hellhole” controversy landed as India and the United States were already dealing with strained relations over tariffs, geopolitical differences, and immigration policy, with several outlets tying the dispute to an upcoming visit by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The Guardian reported that the post comes ahead of a planned visit next month to India by the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, who is seeking to ease recent tensions between the normally friendly powers.

Hindustan Times

BBC coverage similarly said Rubio is set to visit India next month as a significant step to reset strained relations, and it described that Trump’s pressure on India included demands to stop buying Russian oil and a tariff battle that included 50% duties on its goods last year, with 25% of that as a penalty for buying Russian oil.

The BBC also reported that in February Trump cut these tariffs to 18% as part of a trade agreement with India, with the contours still being negotiated, while Al Jazeera said India and the US are now working on a trade deal aimed at preventing any renewed tariff increases and boosting sales to each other.

The Guardian added that relations with India have soured under Trump after he imposed some of his highest tariffs on India, allegedly over its continued purchase of Russian oil, and it noted that Trump’s sparring with India stands in contrast to decades of efforts by successive US presidents to avoid friction.

The Hill described that Trump signed an executive order at the start of his second term to limit the scope of the 14th Amendment and said the issue is now before the Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments earlier this month as Trump watched inside the courtroom.

In the background of the diplomatic timeline, The Guardian also reported that Trump’s inflammatory post on Truth Social comes ahead of Rubio’s visit and that the controversy is part of a broader pattern in which Trump has taken aim at H-1B visas commonly used by Indian tech workers.

Together, the coverage portrays the “hellhole” repost as arriving at a moment when both governments were trying to manage trade talks and a high-profile diplomatic schedule that includes Rubio’s trip.