US President Donald Trump on Thursday praised India, describing it as a great country and emphasising his personal friendship with its leader.
His remarks came after controversy earlier in the day when he reposted a racist tirade by American political commentator and radio host Michael Savage, who had referred to India, China and other nations as “hell holes”.
Christopher Elms, spokesperson for the US Embassy in New Delhi, conveyed that Trump spoke warmly of India, calling it a great nation and highlighting his close relationship with its leadership. “India is a great country with a very good friend of mine at the top,” Trump said.
The controversy stemmed from Trump sharing the transcript and video of Savage’s podcast Savage Nation, in which Savage attacked the US Supreme Court’s arguments on birth right citizenship.
In his remarks, Savage alleged that immigrants from India and China come to the United States to “drop a baby in the ninth month”, thereby securing “instant” citizenship under current law. He went further, describing Indian and Chinese immigrants as “gangsters with laptops” who had “done more damage to this nation than all the mafia families put together”.
Savage claimed that he had once been a supporter of Indians in India but changed his stance after concluding that the chances of “white men” securing jobs in California’s high-tech sector were virtually non-existent. His comments were widely criticised as racist and inflammatory.
Trump himself, in a separate interview with CNBC earlier in the week, falsely asserted that the United States was the only country offering birth right citizenship. This claim was fact-checked by CNN, which pointed out that about three dozen countries, including Canada, Mexico and most South American nations, provide automatic citizenship to those born on their soil.
India’s official response to Trump’s reposting of Savage’s derogatory remarks was restrained. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated, “We have seen some reports. That is where I leave it,” declining to elaborate further.
The episode highlights the contradictory tone in Trump’s messaging: on one hand, praising India and its leadership, while on the other amplifying racist commentary that disparages Indian immigrants.
Agencies
