Donald Trump is facing widespread backlash after sharing content that included a malicious comment referring to India and China.
The post featured a video and transcript from conservative commentator Michael Savage, who was speaking about efforts to abolish birthright citizenship in the United States, the rule that grants citizenship to anyone born on US soil regardless of their parents’ immigration status.
Trump’s comments on China and India prove offensive
In the material Trump shared, Savage said: “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.”
He also argued that English is no longer widely spoken in the US, claimed immigrants lack loyalty, and alleged that California’s tech industry favors workers from India and China over white Americans.
According to him, white men ‘need not apply’ for jobs in the state, adding: “Your chances are nil.”
He further claimed: “They’ve done more damage to this nation than all the mafia families put together.
“In my unhumble opinion. Gangsters with laptops.
“They’ve robbed us blind, treated us like second-class citizens, let the trud world triumph, stepped on our flag, et cetera.”
Response to the controversial comments
India responded strongly.
Randhir Jaiswal described the statements as ‘obviously uninformed, inappropriate and in poor taste,’ adding: “They certainly do not reflect the reality of the India-US relationship, which has long been based on mutual respect and shared interests.”
China has not yet issued an official response.
Some US officials defended Trump’s actions.
White House spokesperson Kush Desai said the president was ‘calling out the scam of unfettered birthright citizenship.’
Meanwhile, Indian media outlet NDTV cited US embassy spokesperson Christopher Elms as saying Trump had previously referred to India as a ‘great country with a very good friend of mine at the top.’
Iran’s embassy in India also weighed in, posting: “Maybe someone should book a one-way cultural detox for Mr. #Trump, it might just reduce the random [nonsense].”
The controversy is tied to the ongoing legal and political dispute over the 14th Amendment, which is generally understood to guarantee birthright citizenship.
Trump has repeatedly attempted to restrict this right, having signed an executive order instructing federal agencies to deny citizenship in certain cases involving children born in the US to mothers without legal status or on temporary visas, if the father is not a US citizen or permanent resident.
That order was challenged by 22 states and quickly blocked by a lower court as “blatantly unconstitutional.”
The case is now before the US Supreme Court, and Trump recently attended a hearing – an unusual step for a sitting president.
On the same day, he posted: “We are the only country in the world stupid enough to allow ‘birthright’ citizenship!”
The repost also drew criticism within the US. Congressman Ami Bera called it ‘offensive, ignorant and beneath the dignity of the office he holds,’ adding: “They reflect a fundamental misunderstanding of who we are as a nation.”
He emphasised that immigrants ‘do not weaken America – they strengthen it,’ noting: “President Trump, who was born into wealth and privilege, has never had to struggle the way so many immigrant families have.”
