If Trump doesn't like India, that is his choice. But to use such distasteful language on a public platform is deeply offensive and needs to be called out, points out Amberish K Diwanji.
Key Points
- Donald Trump sparked outrage in India after sharing a post describing the country as a 'hellhole on earth'.
- The remark emerged amid the US birthright citizenship debate, with conservative voices targeting immigrants from India and China.
- India officially condemned the statement as uninformed and inappropriate, stressing strong bilateral ties and mutual respect.
- Political figures in the US and global observers criticised Trump, highlighting diplomatic damage and erosion of goodwill.
- Historical comparisons show US leaders used harsh language privately, but Trump's public endorsement marks a sharp departure.
Indians are in a funk, and very, very understandably so. The President of the United States of America, Mr Donald Trump, has used, what can be euphemistically called, unparliamentary language against India.
He shared a statement by a right-wing American activist who called India a 'hellhole on earth'.
The activist is a conservative podcast host, Michael Savage, who posted the transcript of his podcast on the platform Truth Social, Trump's preferred platform.
The transcript was about Savage ranting against women who came to the US in the ninth month of their pregnancy, just to give birth in the US and thus enable their baby to gain citizenship by birth.
Savage then added: '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'.
The context is the birthright citizenship row that is currently engulfing the American nation.
The US grants citizenship to any person born in the US, regardless of the parents' citizenship. Donald Trump, and his supporters like Savage, are pushing for an amendment that bars citizenship by birth. Trump shared the post, an act of endorsement.
India, US Leaders Slam Trump Remark
No one in India has taken kindly to his statement. Nor have many Americans.
Rahm Emanuel, a former US ambassador to Japan, and a possible Democrat candidate in the 2028 US presidential elections, has strongly criticised Trump, saying 'America has literally spit in India's face'.
Emanuel added out that over the last 30 years, every US president has worked hard to bring the US and India closer and that he would not do what Trump has done. Neither would most Americans.
India has criticised the post, without naming Trump or Savage. A ministry of external affairs statement merely said the remarks were uninformed, inappropriate and in poor taste.
The MEA added that the post did not reflect the reality of the India-US relationship, which has long been based on mutual respect and shared interests.
The Hindu American Foundation has called the post hateful and racist. The irony is hard to miss considering that the HAF has been accused of being hateful towards Indian Muslims, and which was pointed out in response to its post.
The Iranian consulate general in Mumbai quickly latched on to Trump's uncalled for and ill-timed endorsement.
On the X platform, the Iranian consulate general shared a video showcasing Maharashtra, with the line, 'Maybe someone should book a one-way cultural detox for Mr Trump, it might just reduce the random bakwas'.
Trump's remarks hurt if only because not so long ago, our nation, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had gone out of its way to welcome him and treat him like some kind of a hero.
It hurts to realise that a person about whom you thought well, if not highly, has such scant regard for you and your feelings.
If Trump doesn't like India, that is his choice. But to use such distasteful language on a public platform is deeply offensive and needs to be called out.
Richard Nixon And Indira Gandhi
US presidents have used abusive language in the past, but never publicly.
In the early 1970s, when the Bangladesh war was on the horizon, the then US President Richard Nixon and his national security advisor Henry Kissinger were upset at the stubbornness of India's then prime minister Indira Gandhi.
In private transcripts that later became public, Nixon had called Mrs Gandhi, 'a b...h', to which Kissinger added, 'Indians are b..ds'.
In the early 2000s, on a visit to India, Kissinger was asked about his remark at a public event. His reply was class diplomacy.
He pointed out that the remarks were made in utter privacy between him and Nixon, and not meant for public consumption.
He said they were made at the end of a long and hard day where negotiations with Mrs Gandhi had made little headway.
'President Nixon and I were just letting off steam,' he pointed out.
Then, with a twinkle, he added, 'I would love to have heard what the Indians were saying about us behind our backs. I am sure it was just as negative.' The audience burst out laughing, realising that he had a valid point.
The difference between then and now is clear. Nixon and Kissinger were speaking in private about a particularly tense situation that was caught on tape that later became public.
Though they didn't like Indira Gandhi, they maintained their dignity.
In contrast, Trump just endorsed a hateful post because he wants to cater to his supporters' prejudice.
It is unpresidential. And unacceptable. One can only conclude with the hope, Agli bar, koi aur ki sarkar.
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff
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