A day after raising concerns about alleged US interference in Indian elections, President Donald Trump on Thursday termed the purported $21 million federal funding to improve voter turnout in India as a “kickback scheme,” questioning its necessity and transparency.
Speaking at the Republican Governor’s Association event in Washington, Trump expressed his discontent over the alleged allocation. “Twenty-one million dollars for voter turnout in India? Why are we caring about Indian turnout? We’ve got enough problems. We want our own turnout, don’t we? Can you imagine all that money going to India? I wonder what they think when they get it,” he said.
Trump suggested that the funding mechanism could be part of a wider corruption strategy. “Now, it’s a kickback scheme. They get it, they spend it, and then they kick it back to the people that sent it,” he alleged. “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.”
On Wednesday, Trump had insinuated that the previous Joe Biden administration was attempting to influence Indian elections by funding voter turnout efforts under the US Agency for International Development (USAID). He went as far as to suggest that such financial aid might be an effort to “get somebody else elected” in India.
The US President further stated that he would discuss the matter with the Narendra Modi-led Indian government, underscoring his concerns about the transparency and purpose of the funding.
The controversy gained traction after Tesla CEO and billionaire Elon Musk’s social media platform DOGE highlighted the alleged $21 million allocation under USAID in the name of “voter turnout in India” on February 16.
Neither the Biden administration nor USAID has formally responded to Trump’s claims. The Indian government has also yet to issue a statement on the matter. The allegations, however, have fueled a heated political debate in both the US and India, with analysts speculating on the broader implications of such funding.
