MEA reacts to Trump’s $21 mn USAID mn fund claim, calls it ‘deeply concerning’

The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday reacted to US President Donald Trump's claims that $21 million was pumped into India for ‘voter turnout’ with an intent to achieve alternate election results in 2024.

The MEA termed the claim, "deeply concerning" and said that authorities were looking into it.

"We have seen information that has been put out by the US administration regarding certain USA activities and funding. These are obviously very deeply troubling. This has 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, so relevant authorities are looking into, and hopefully we can come up with an update on that subsequently," said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.


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Speaking at the FII PRIORITY Summit in Miami, Trump had voiced strong opposition to the funding allocated under the previous administration. He had suggested that the funds were intended to interfere in India’s election process.

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“Why do we need to spend $21 million on voter turnout in India? I guess they were trying to get somebody else elected. We have got to tell the Indian government... Because when we hear that Russia spent about two thousand dollars in our country, it was a big deal. They took some internet ads for two thousand dollars. This is a total breakthrough,” he had said.

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While maintaining his respect for India and its Prime Minister, Trump had questioned the necessity of spending millions on voter turnout in a foreign country, adding, "I have a lot of respect for India. I have a lot of respect for the prime minister. He just left, as you know, two days ago. But we're giving USD 21 million for voter turnout. It's voter turnout in India. What about, like, voter turnout here? Oh, we've done that, I guess. We did USD 500 million, didn't we? It's called the lockboxes."

His remarks have sparked significant debate, with critics questioning whether US foreign aid should be used to influence democratic processes abroad.