A day following defending his administration’s cost-cutting team, the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) measures, US President Donald Trump escalated his criticism of the now-canceled $21 million voter turnout initiative in India, saying that the funds may have been intended to sway the election in favor of a particular candidate.
Trump said, “What do we need to spend $21 million for voter turnout in India? Wow, 21 million. I guess they were trying to get somebody else elected. Donald Trump further compared the allocation to allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election, saying, “Well, we ought to tell the Indian government, because when we hear that Russia spent about $2 in our country, it was a big deal, right?”
US President Donald Trump strongly supported DOGE’s action, saying that the financial aid was unnecessary given India’s economic status. The $21 million fund had been given to support efforts aimed at increasing voter participation in India’s elections, but Trump maintained that such expenditures were not a priority for U.S. taxpayers.
Speaking at Mar-a-Lago while signing a series of executive orders, Trump remarked, “Why are we giving USD 21 million to India? They have a lot more money. They are one of the highest taxing countries in the world. We can hardly get in there because their tariffs are so high. I have a lot of respect for India and their Prime Minister, but giving USD 21 million for voter turnout?”
DOGE is led by Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Musk announced that it had canceled $22 million in funding intended for “voter turnout in India.” In a post on X, DOGE stated, “US taxpayer dollars were going to be spent on the following items, all of which have been cancelled…” The cuts included “$21M for voter turnout in India; $29M for strengthening the political landscape in Bangladesh; $20M for fiscal federalism in Nepal.”
Comments