Rubio invokes Trump's 'big fan' admiration for PM Modi to quash anti-India rhetoric
New Delhi, May 25
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday sought to downplay allegations of rising anti-India rhetoric in the United States, asserting that President Donald Trump is a strong admirer of India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The top diplomat's remarks come amid a swirling controversy triggered by a viral video of his response to a journalist's query regarding alleged instances of racism targeting Indians in the US.
The initial question was widely interpreted as an allusion to previous remarks by Trump, who had reportedly grouped India and China as a "hellhole" while accusing individuals from both nations of exploiting America's birthright citizenship laws.
Rubio is presently on a four-day official visit to India. The high-profile trip is aimed at recalibrating bilateral ties, which have faced certain headwinds since mid-last year.
Addressing the controversy during a media interaction this morning, Rubio dismissed the notion of systemic animosity and reinforced the American administration's commitment to New Delhi.
"The President is 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. He wouldn't have sent someone like Sergio Gor to be our ambassador, someone who's very close to the President," Rubio said.
The Secretary of State explained that he had explicitly asked the journalist to clarify who exactly was behind the alleged remarks but did not receive a specific name.
"The bottom line is that in the modern era, you go online, and there are people saying all kinds of crazy stuff. I don't even know if they're real people or who they are," Rubio noted, indicating his belief that the query pertained to random online commentary.
During the original exchange, the reporter enquired, "There have been a lot of racist comments coming from the United States against Indians, Indian-Americans. You know this goes against the basic premise of the India-US relationship. What's your take on that?"
When the top US diplomat pressed for specifics, the journalist replied, "We all have seen those comments. We've seen endorsement of those comments."
Responding to the vague nature of the allegations, Rubio remarked that "every country has stupid people."
In a notable development, the US State Department initially uploaded video footage of Rubio's response to the racism query on the social media platform X but subsequently removed the post a few hours later.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Honestly, the viral video was concerning. But Rubio's visit shows that the US values the relationship. Every country has its share of idiots online - we have plenty in India too. What matters is the official stance. Still, we should keep an eye on any systemic issues faced by Indians abroad.
As an American who works with many Indian colleagues, I can say that Rubio is right - there are some loud, ignorant voices online, but they don't represent the majority. Most Americans respect India's culture and contributions. The relationship between our nations is strong.
Rubio's response was diplomatic, but let's not ignore the underlying issue. The Trump administration has had some controversial statements about Indian immigration in the past. Yes, personal rapport with Modi is good, but policy matters more. I hope this visit leads to concrete improvements for Indian students and professionals in the US.
Classic Rubio - smooth operator. He knows how to pivot and keep things positive. The fact that they deleted the original X post is interesting though... makes you wonder what was really said behind closed doors. But overall, a good signal for bilateral ties.
"Every country has stupid people" - couldn't agree more with Rubio on that. We Indians also say some crazy stuff about America online. The relationship is too big to be derailed by faceless Twitter accounts. Let's focus on trade, tech, and defence cooperation. That's what really matters.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.