'Inappropriate, in poor taste': MEA on Trump's 'hell-hole' post for India

After the post sparked outrage, Christopher Elms, spokesperson for the US Embassy in New Delhi, said Trump had spoken warmly of India and called it a great nation

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday described as "uninformed, inappropriate, and in poor taste" comments shared earlier in the day by US President Donald Trump on social media that described India as a "hell-hole".

 

The comments in question, attributed to remarks by American radio host Michael Savage, referred to India, China, and other countries as "hell-holes".

 

In a statement, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: “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.”

 

 

Earlier in the day, after the post on Truth Social sparked outrage, Christopher Elms, spokesperson for the US Embassy in New Delhi, said Trump had spoken warmly of India and called it a great nation.

 

"India is a great country with a very good friend of mine at the top," Trump said, according to Elms.

 

The MEA, in its statement, also acknowledged the Embassy's clarification, saying: “We have seen the comments, as well as the subsequent statement issued by the US Embassy in response.”

 

Notably, the four-page letter shared by Trump did not carry Savage’s name, but the president had earlier shared a video in which Savage made arguments similar to those outlined in it.

 

In that video, Savage said the system creates a loophole, saying: “A baby here becomes an instant citizen, and then they bring the entire family in from China or India or some other hell-hole on the planet.”

 

The footage was originally broadcast on the Newsmax programme The Savage Nation and was later recirculated by an account that republishes Trump’s posts from Truth Social. The letter, however, was reposted from Trump's own account.

 

The letter said that birthright citizenship enables people to “flood America with illegal aliens to change the demographics forever.” It also alleged misuse of the system, stating that individuals travel to the United States “in the ninth month of their pregnancy,” adding, “A baby here becomes an instant citizen, and then they bring the entire family in from China or India.”

 

“Our nation is being overrun with Chinese coming here just to drop a baby on our shores… It’s not limited to China; it’s also India,” the letter stated. It added, echoing the video's comment, that “You have to be from India or China because almost all the internal mechanisms are set up to be run by Indians and Chinese.”

 

Trump has long opposed birthright citizenship, previously calling it a “devastating loophole” and “ludicrous". He has hinted at plans to curb the policy through executive action. Since returning to office in January 2025, Trump has taken a stricter stance on immigration, describing migration at the southern border as an “invasion” and placing mass deportations at the centre of his policy agenda.