India Criticizes Trump's 'Hellhole' Repost

India's government on Thursday criticized as uninformed, inappropriate, and in poor taste a social media repost by U.S. President Donald Trump that referred to the country and others as "hellholes" amid a debate over American immigration policy. The remarks, shared on Trump's Truth Social platform, originated from conservative radio host Michael Savage and targeted the U.S. birthright citizenship law, prompting a quick clarification from the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi emphasizing the strong bilateral ties.

The controversy arose when Trump reposted a transcript and video clip from Savage's "Savage Nation" podcast, in which the host argued against the 14th Amendment's Citizenship Clause. This provision grants automatic citizenship to most children born on U.S. soil, regardless of their parents' status. Savage claimed the policy creates loopholes exploited by pregnant immigrants from countries including India and China, who travel to the U.S. in their ninth month to secure citizenship for their newborns, later sponsoring family members. "A baby here becomes an instant citizen, and then they bring in their entire family from China, or India, or some other hellhole on the planet,"...