Trump ramps up attack over USAID handouts to India: Taking advantage of us

US President Donald Trump ramped up his attack on the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funds to India, claiming that it gave "18 million dollars" to India to assist with its election.

In Short

• Donald Trump claims India doesn't need election financial aid
• He accuses India of taking advantage of US
• Says India imposes high tariffs on US goods

US President Donald Trump ramped up his attack on the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funds to India, claiming that it gave “18 million dollars” to India to assist with its election. Trump said that providing money to India for elections was unnecessary since the country didn't need financial aid. He claimed that India “takes advantage” of the US and imposes some of the highest tariffs globally.

“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,” Trump said.

The US President has been raking up the issue time and again after the Elon Musk-led DOGE cancelled the $21 million payout to India and similar grants to other nations earlier this month.

This is the fourth time in five days that the US President reiterated his claim about USAID funding efforts to promote voter turnout in India.

Trump had earlier hinted that the funds might have been used to interfere in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections without giving any evidence. On Saturday, he took Prime Minister Narendra Modi's name for the first time while reiterating his charge of granting $21 million to India for "voter turnout" amid a raging political slugfest over the issue back home.

"$21 million going to my friend Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India for voter turnout. We are giving $21 million for voter turnout in India. What about us? I want voter turnout too," Trump said in cryptic remarks.

WHAT TRUMP SAID ON INDIA FUNDING

On February 19, Trump questioned the purpose of providing $21 million to India, saying the US "can hardly get in there" because of high tariffs.

The next day, Trump stirred a hornet's nest after he questioned the previous Joe Biden administration's move to give the grant to India and indicated that it might have been used to meddle in elections.

"USD 21 million for voter turnout in India. Why do we need to spend USD 21 million for voter turnout in India? I guess they (the Biden administration) were trying to get somebody else elected. We have got to tell the Indian government... This is a total breakthrough," he said.

On Friday, he repeated the charge again at a Republican governors' conference, this time calling the funding a "kickback scheme". "$21 million for voter turnout in India. Why are we caring about India turnout? We got enough problems... it's a kickback scheme, you know," Trump stressed.

GOVERNMENT CALLS ALLEGATIONS BY TRUMP ‘TROUBLING’

The government, breaking its silence on the issue four days since Trump's claim, called the allegations "very deeply troubling". The Ministry of External Affairs expressed concerns about foreign interference in India's internal affairs.

"There are many departments and agencies in India that work with USAID. All these ministries and agencies are looking at this now," the MEA spokesperson said at a media briefing on Friday.