Trump Repeats “Hellhole” Remark, MEA And Indian American Congressman Respond In Equal Measure
India rebukes Donald Trump’s remarks on India and China, calling them inappropriate, as the controversy sparks responses from US lawmakers. Image courtesy: Wikimedia Commons.
US President Donald Trump, on Thursday (April 23, 2026), reposted a four-page racist remarks sent to him by a supporter targeting India and China as “hellholes” and accusing them of exploiting the American birthright citizenship provisions.
He amplified another provocative critique of birthright citizenship, by sharing a video of a prominent conservative author and radio host, Michael Savage, who claimed the current legal system allows immigrants to exploit the American legal loopholes by arriving in the “ninth month of their pregnancy.”
In the footage shared by Trump, Savage argued that such practices created a loophole where “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 footage, originally aired on the Newsmax series ‘The Savage Nation’, was reposted by the ‘Commentary Donald J. Trump Posts from Truth Social’ account, a platform dedicated to reposting the US President’s social media activity.
In the clip, Savage expressed deep frustration with the judicial process, noting that “Today’s brief, abbreviated discussion will be about the argument that I just listened to before the Supreme Court about birthright citizenship. I was somewhat incensed by listening to the arguments because all I heard was legalese being bandied back and forth.”
Savage, focusing on the legal arguments, said that “the person bringing the arguments in favour of flooding America with illegal aliens to change the demographics forever was a Chinese American who looks to me like the classic ACLU attorney. Very smart, very evil, a nd very devious.”
Responding to Trump’s posts, India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal called it “obviously uninformed, inappropriate, and in poor taste.”
“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,” Jaiswal said in a statement.
“They certainly do not reflect the reality of the India-US relationship, which has long been based on mutual respect and shared interests,” he added.
When the Indian diplomatic media corps made queries on Trump’s posts with the US Embassy in India, its spokesperson responded: “The President has said ‘India is a great country with a very good friend of mine at the top’.”
In a sharp retort to Trump, US Representative Ami Bera, the longest-serving Indian American Member of Congress, said: “As the son of immigrants from India, I take great pride in both my heritage and in the country that gave my family the opportunity to build a better life.”
Bera said, “My parents came to the United States legally in search of that opportunity. My mother spent 35 years working as a public school teacher. My father worked as an engineer. They raised my brothers and me with a deep belief in hard work, public service, and giving back to the country that welcomed them.”
Calling himself “a product of that American story,” the Indian American Congressman said: “I attended California’s public schools from kindergarten through medical school, became a doctor, and now have the privilege of serving our nation in Congress. That is what the American Dream looks like.”
He said, “The comments shared by President Trump are offensive, ignorant, and beneath the dignity of the office he holds. They reflect a fundamental misunderstanding of who we are as a nation. America has always been strengthened by generations of immigrants who come here, work hard, and contribute to our country. They do not weaken America — they strengthen it.”
He also noted that “America was built by people from all over the world who believed in its promise and worked tirelessly to make it better for the next generation. That’s the story of my family, and it’s the story of millions of families across this country.”
Targeting the US President, Bera said Trump, who was born into wealth and privilege, has never had to struggle the way so many immigrant families have.
“He (Trump) does not understand the grit, sacrifice, and determination it takes to build a life from the ground up. He does not understand public service, and he does not understand the values that make America the greatest nation in the world.”
He concluded: “We are a nation of immigrants, and we are stronger because of it.”
