Donald Trump’s fondness for social media has once again tested the patience of America’s friends. On this occasion, it was India’s turn to take offence.
The president reposted remarks by Michael Savage, a bombastic American radio host, in which the commentator railed against birthright citizenship. Immigrants, Mr Savage claimed, were gaming the system by arriving in the “ninth month of their pregnancy” and then summoning relatives from “China or India or some other hellhole on the planet”. Mr Trump’s amplification of the slur prompted a swift rebuke from New Delhi.
Randhir Jaiswal, spokesman for India’s Ministry of External Affairs, called the comments “uninformed, inappropriate and in poor taste”. They did not, he added, reflect the “mutual respect and shared interests” that underpin ties between the world’s two largest democracies. In a hasty attempt at damage limitation, the American embassy in Delhi insisted that Mr Trump regards India as “a great country” led by “a very good friend of mine”—presumably Narendra Modi, though no one specified when or where the president had said so.
The row is trivial in substance but revealing in form. Mr Savage’s remarks were part of America’s perennial immigration debate, focused on a Supreme Court challenge to the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of citizenship to anyone born on American soil. Conservatives argue the rule creates perverse incentives; critics of the critics say abuse is exaggerated. Yet dragging India—a fast-growing economy, nuclear power and vital counterweight to China—into the mud as a “hellhole” was clumsy at best.
India has reasons to be prickly. Its large and increasingly influential diaspora in America, particularly in technology and business, is a source of national pride. New Delhi has spent years cultivating an image as a serious global player rather than a source country for chain migration. The episode risks feeding domestic narratives in both countries that could complicate diplomacy, even if officials on both sides insist the fundamentals of the partnership remain intact.
Trade talks have dragged on, defence co-operation has deepened, and both governments share an interest in managing China. Personal chemistry between Mr Trump and Mr Modi has papered over past frictions. A single retweet is unlikely to unravel that. Still, it is a reminder that in the age of instant global broadcasting, even friendly capitals must mind their tone. Public warmth between leaders is all very well; consistency in public statements would be better.
