US President Donald Trump doubled down on his stance on the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) by bringing up the alleged USAID funding to India for the fourth time in a row, saying New Delhi “does not need the money”.
The row erupted after the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) declared its latest move to reduce expenditures by cancelling millions of dollars in funding for various countries, including the $21 million allocated for enhancing “voter turnout in India.”
Speaking on the money given to India for its elections, Trump said at the Conservative Political Action Conference, “Why the hell? Why don’t we go back to old paper ballots and let them help us with our elections? They don’t need money.”
“We’re giving money to India for elections, well they don’t need money. They take advantage of us. They are one of the highest tariffs nations in the world. They have a 200 per cent tariff and then we give them a lot of money for elections,” he added.
Since before the US presidential elections last year, Trump has complained about India’s high tariffs and called it a “very big abuser” of trade. He introduced reciprocal tariffs on all imports shortly before meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the White House, highlighting that “India has more tariffs than nearly any other country”.
‘Ended Left-Wing Scam’: Trump On USAID
During his speech at CPAC on Saturday, Trump referred to USAID as a “left-wing scam” and said, “The agency’s name has been removed from its former building and that space will now house agents from Customs and Border Patrol.”
This came as a federal judge allowed Trump to move forward with pulling thousands of USAID staffers off the job in the United States and around the world. US District rejected pleas to keep his temporary stay on the government’s plan to remove all but a small fraction of USAID staffers from their posts.
President Donald Trump and the cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency tied to billionaire Elon Musk have moved swiftly to shutter USAID, calling its programs out of line with the president’s agenda and asserting without evidence that its work is wasteful.
India Expresses Concern Over USAID Row
Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday addressed Trump’s claims on USAID funding for India, calling them “worrisome” and that the agency was allowed in good faith, not for activities in bad faith.
“It’s worrisome, and if there’s something to it, then the country should know who the people are involved in it,” he said at an event.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) previously called the accusations “deeply troubling” and led to concerns about foreign interference in India’s internal affairs. “Relevant departments and agencies are looking into this matter. It would be premature to make a public comment at this stage,” said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Friday.
On Friday, Trump repeated his claim that $21 million was given to India for “voter turnout”, contradicting a report that claimed that the funding was actually meant for Bangladesh. This led to another war of words between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress in India.
An Indian Express report claimed that a $21 million USAID grant was allocated in 2022 for Bangladesh, not India. The Congress, waving the report, dismissed the BJP’s charge of alleged foreign interference in India’s electoral process.