While reiterating his charges of granting $21 million to India for “voter turnout” on Friday (local time), US President Donald Trump mentioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s name for the first time.
In his latest attack, amid a political slugfest over the issue back home, the US President distinctly mentioned the separate USAID funding to India and Bangladesh. This comes in contradiction to the Indian Express’s report that claimed the grant was sanctioned for Dhaka and not New Delhi.
For the third day in a row, US President Donald Trump reiterates his claim about USAID funding efforts to promote voter turnout in India. He says, “We’re giving $21 million for voter turnout in India. What about us? I want voter turnout too.”
But what does he know about his own… pic.twitter.com/VTch3lr21r
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) February 22, 2025
Trump, who had earlier dropped hints that the funds might have been used to wade into the 2024 Lok Sabha polls without giving any evidence, took PM Modi’s name in his latest remark. “USD 21 million is 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.
He further stated that USD 29 million in USAID funds were granted to Bangladesh for “strengthening the political landscape.”. “USD 29 million in Bangladesh went to a firm that nobody had ever heard of. Only two people were working in that firm,” Trump said.
BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya took to the social media platform X and posted the video, taking a swipe at the report and the opposition, which cited it to attack the saffron party. “For the third day in a row, US President Donald Trump reiterated his claim about USAID funding efforts to promote voter turnout in India… But what does he know about his own country’s spending? The Indian Express and the deranged Left think they know better!” Malviya said in the post.
On Friday, the Indian Express published an investigative report that claimed that New Delhi had received no funding from USAID for any poll-related project since 2008. The report also revealed that the only USAID grant worth USD 21 million for voter participation was sanctioned for a project in Bangladesh in 2022.