New Delhi last week condemned as \u201cinappropriate\u201d a social media post\nby US President Donald Trump that referred to India as a \u201chellhole.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump shared a clip from the radio show The Savage Nation, where\nconservative commentator Michael Savage stated: \u201cA baby born here\nimmediately becomes a citizen, then they bring their entire family from\nChina or India or other hellholes on this planet.\u201d<\/p>\n
India\u2019s Ministry of External Affairs described the statement as\n\u201cclearly unfounded, inappropriate, and classless,\u201d in a statement quoted\nby Reuters.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe statement clearly does not reflect the reality of India-US\nrelations, which have long been based on mutual respect and shared\ninterests.\u201d<\/p>\n
This comment comes amid broader economic pressures increasingly\nweighing on public sentiment in India towards Washington.<\/p>\n
Why India-US relations remain important<\/p>\n
India-US relations form a central part of both countries\u2019 global\nstrategies, built on shared economic, security, and technological\ninterests.<\/p>\n
The United States is India\u2019s largest trading partner and the primary\ndestination for its diaspora.<\/p>\n
New Delhi also plays a key role in Washington\u2019s Indo-Pacific\nstrategy, particularly as a counterbalance to China\u2019s growing\ninfluence.<\/p>\n
Although formal relations are unlikely to change, India\u2019s once\naspirational view of the US is increasingly shifting to a more\ntransactional one.<\/p>\n
India entered 2025 with optimism about what Trump\u2019s second term would\nbring to bilateral relations.<\/p>\n
Five months later, the US President and Indian Prime Minister\nNarendra Modi became embroiled in diplomatic tensions after Trump\nannounced a ceasefire between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam\nattack in Indian-administered Kashmir, claiming credit as a mediator.\nPakistan backed the claim.<\/p>\n
However, India firmly rejected Trump\u2019s claim, asserting that\nceasefire talks were conducted bilaterally and that third-party\ninvolvement in the Kashmir issue is unacceptable.<\/p>\n
How US tariffs on India are shaking bilateral trust<\/p>\n
In July 2025, the US announced it would impose 50% tariffs on India,\none of the highest in the world, partly because India was buying Russian\noil.<\/p>\n
In an August 2025 report published by the Delhi Policy Group think\ntank, former diplomat Hemant Krishan Singh described US-India relations\nas at a \u201cturning point.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTargeting India over Russian oil purchases while giving leeway to\nother (and larger) buyers can hardly be seen as anything other than a\nhostile act,\u201d Singh wrote.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere has been a setback in mutual trust, shaken confidence,\nemerging uncertainty, and declining public support in India,\u201d he\nadded.<\/p>\n
In his speech at last month\u2019s Raisina Dialogue security conference in\nNew Delhi, US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said that\n\u201cIndia must understand that we will not repeat the same mistakes with\nIndia that we did with China.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was the peak of what has happened over the past year. The fact\nthat this comment was made in a strategic forum shows how the US\nadministration views India,\u201d said Navtej Sarna, former Indian ambassador\nto the US.<\/p>\n
Sarna told DW that this angered many officials in Delhi. \u201cThe warmth\ntowards Pakistan also adds to the distrust in India,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
How US actions are impacting Indian society<\/p>\n
Experts point to a series of other incidents, from tightened\nrestrictions on the H-1B visa programme widely used by Indian and\nChinese migrants, to Trump-affiliated influencers reinforcing narratives\nseen as racist about India, as well as Trump granting temporary\npermission to India to buy Russian oil amid shortages related to the\neffective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n
Independent journalist and disinformation expert Karen Rebelo\nexplained that the Iran war has \u201cturned everything upside down.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe rupee has hit a low point, stock markets have suffered losses,\nsupply chains are disrupted. People\u2019s lives are directly affected, and\nno one is immune, especially in import-dependent India,\u201d she told\nDW.<\/p>\n
Right-wing Indian voters, largely small, medium, and large business\nowners, previously tended to support Trump due to ideological\nsimilarities.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoth rely on religion, both are conservative and pro-business, both\nsee Muslim minorities as enemies,\u201d said Rebelo.<\/p>\n
However, that traditional support is now turning into more subdued\nfrustration as their businesses are impacted.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s even envy. They want India to be the deciding party, to have\nthe power to set the direction,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Indian media shifting stance on the US<\/p>\n
The Modi government has largely exercised restraint in responding to\nTrump\u2019s second administration, in exchange for occasional praise from\nthe US president calling New Delhi a \u201cvery good friend.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIndia has decided to maintain the consistently built relationship so\nas not to lose everything,\u201d said Sarna, noting that India is trying to\nrespond with maturity, even when a firmer stance might be justified.<\/p>\n
However, when the government chooses restraint, government-aligned\ninfluencers are sharply criticising the US president.<\/p>\n
YouTubers with millions of followers, such as Nitesh Rajput, Shams\nSharma, Abhi from Abhi and Niyu, and Abhijit Chavda, previously followed\nthe government\u2019s narrative.<\/p>\n
In the last three months, all have published content moving away from\nthe \u201cgood friend\u201d narrative. Some videos even question Trump\u2019s\nsanity.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnti-US sentiment is clearly at its highest in some time,\u201d said\nSundeep Narwani, one of the founders of Indian AI research firm\nNarrative Research Lab, which monit<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/us-india-relations-fracture-trump-in-the-spotlight-1777380713", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }