Trump fixated on voter turnout funding for 3rd day, calls $21 mn India aid a 'kickback'

Former President Donald Trump criticized a cancelled $21 million U.S. aid program for India, alleging it was a "kickback" scheme. Speaking at the Republican Governors Association meeting in Washington D.C. on Thursday, Trump questioned the purpose of the funding, which was intended to boost voter turnout in India.

"USD 21 million for voter turnout in India. Why are we caring about India's turnout? We have got enough problems. We want our own turnout," Trump stated. He expressed suspicion about the program, saying, "I would say in many cases, many of these cases, anytime you have no idea what we're talking about, that means there's a kickback because nobody has any idea what's going on there."

Trump also criticized other cancelled foreign aid programs, including $29 million for Bangladesh's "political landscape," $20 million for "fiscal federalism" and $19 million for "biodiversity conservation" in Nepal, and $47 million for "improving learning outcomes in Asia." He questioned the meaning of these programs and declared, "We terminated this stuff and we're on the track."


The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, recently disclosed the cancelled aid initiatives, noting they were previously administered by USAID. Trump's remarks come after DOGE listed the $21 million India program among other cancelled aid projects. USAID, which handles international humanitarian efforts, had its operations halted and website shut down, as part of DOGE's government workforce reduction efforts. A judge has temporarily blocked DOGE from placing USAID employees on administrative leave. This marks the third time Trump has publicly questioned the India funding this week, having previously raised concerns during the FII PRIORITY Summit in Miami.

With inputs from PTI