The Ministry of External Affairs shrugged off US President Donald Trump’s “hellhole” remark for India and China as spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal refrained from giving more weightage to it and just said that “we have seen some reports”. Responding to a question on Trump’s remark during a press briefing on Thursday, Jaiswal said, “We have seen some reports. That’s where I leave it.”

Trump had shared an anti-immigration social media post in which a derogatory term was used for both India and China.

Trump had posted a transcript from a conservative talk show hosted by Michael Savage. In the show, Savage was speaking about US’ birthright citizenship and said that people allegedly arrive in the US late in pregnancy and gain automatic citizenship for their child. Trump said that such people later bring in family members from countries including India and China, which he referred to as “some other hellhole on the planet.”

“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. You don’t have to go too far to see that. English is not spoken here anymore. That there’s almost no loyalty to this country amongst the immigrant class coming in today, which was not always the case,” it read.

It further alleges systemic bias in employment and immigration systems. “You have to be from India or China because almost all the internal mechanisms are set up to run by Indians and Chinese.”

The post also claims that integration seen in earlier waves of European immigration “is long over,” arguing that the United States has shifted from a “melting pot” to “cash in pot”.

He also argued that immigration trends were reshaping American society and criticised the US Constitution as outdated, saying it is not suited for modern realities such as air travel and the internet.

India’s main opposition party, the Congress, reacted strongly as it condemned the remarks and targeted the government, calling the statement “extremely insulting and anti-India” and demanded a firm response from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

US President Trump has called India a “HELLHOLE,” the Congress said in its reaction, adding that the comment “hurts every Indian” and urging PM Modi to raise the issue with Washington. “However, given his track record so far, it cannot be expected that he will say anything in front of Trump,” it added.

Iran, which is currently embroiled in a major conflict with the United States, jumped in to defend China and India, saying that both countries are the “cradles of civilisation” and took a potshot at Trump.

The Consulate General of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Hyderabad posted on X, “China and India are the cradles of civilisation. In fact, the #hellhole is where its war criminal president threatened to decimate the civilisation in Iran.”

Trump had earlier warned that “a whole civilisation will die tonight” if Iran did not agree to his terms to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.