The Indian government on Thursday described as “inappropriate” and “in poor taste” remarks made by an American political commentator, which were shared by United States President Donald Trump on social media, that termed India as being among “hellhole” countries.
“The remarks are obviously uninformed, inappropriate and in poor taste,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. “They certainly do not reflect the reality of the India-US relationship, which has long been based on mutual respect and shared interests.”
The remarks were made by Michael Savage, an author and political commentator, on US-based TV channel Newsmax after hearings in the US Supreme Court about the case pertaining to birthright citizenship.
Birthright citizenship is the automatic acquisition of nationality by a child born within a country’s territory, regardless of their parents’ citizenship or immigration status.
Trump on Wednesday shared on social media the transcript of comments made by Savage about ending birthright citizenship in the US.
“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,” Savage claimed. “You don’t have to go far to see that. English is not spoken here anymore.”
Soon after the remarks were shared, a spokesperson at the US Embassy said: “The president [Trump] has said ‘India is a great country with a very good friend of mine at the top’,” The Indian Express reported.
Trump has long been a proponent of ending birthright citizenship in the US. In January 2025, Trump signed an executive order to stop automatically granting citizenship to those born in the US in specific scenarios.
Legal consensus, however, broadly holds that the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution guarantees birthright citizenship. The matter is being heard by the Supreme Court.
In his arguments, Savage said that a referendum must be held to determine if birthright citizenship should continue.
“Our nation is being overrun with Chinese coming here just to drop a baby on our shore then bring in the entire family,” he said. “How about some common sense in a bankrupt nation?”
Also read: India is a ‘hellhole’: Trump shares commentator’s views questioning US birthright citizenship
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