US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday strongly defended President Donald Trump amid controversy surrounding alleged anti-India rhetoric and racist remarks circulating in the United States.
Speaking during his India visit, Rubio said Trump remains a strong admirer of both India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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“The President’s a big fan of India, a big fan of Prime Minister Modi. I wouldn’t be here if the President didn’t want me to be here,” Rubio said while responding to questions from journalists.
The controversy erupted after Trump amplified a right-wing podcast transcript on his Truth Social platform in April. The podcast host had reportedly referred to India and China as “hellhole” countries, triggering criticism and backlash in India.
At the time, India’s Ministry of External Affairs described the remarks as “inappropriate and in poor taste”.
Rubio was first questioned about the matter during a joint press conference with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Sunday. He dismissed the comments as “dumb comments” made by “stupid people”.
The US State Department had initially posted a video of Rubio’s remarks on social media before later removing it.
When questioned again on Monday, Rubio said he initially believed the issue related to random online content and not the specific podcast controversy.
“I don’t even know – some of those could be a troll, could be a bot,” Rubio said, adding that the reporter had not specifically referred to the podcast remarks during the earlier interaction.
Rubio also highlighted Trump’s recent phone interaction during an event marking the 250th anniversary of American independence, where the US President referred to Modi as a “friend” and praised his ties with India.
He further stressed that the US relationship with Pakistan does not come at the cost of its strategic partnership with India.
