US President Donald Trump has hinted at the former administration of his predecessor, Joe Biden, of election interference in India as he continued to defend the Elon Muk-led Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) controversial decision to slash $21 million grant for the country aimed at increasing "voter turnout".
Speaking at Saudi Arabia government-backed FII Priority Summit in Miami on Wednesday night, Trump said, "Why do we need to spend $21 million on voter turnout in India? I guess they (Biden administration) were trying to get somebody else elected. We have got to tell the Indian Government. This is a total breakthrough."
In similar remarks at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday, Trump questioned why India was getting the funds when the country's economic position and trade policies did not warrant it.
"Why are we giving $21 million to India? They have a lot more money. They are one of the highest-taxing countries in the world in terms of us; we can hardly get in there because their tariffs are so high," he said.
"I have a lot of respect for India and their Prime Minister, but giving $21 million for voter turnout?" Trump questioned.
On February 16, DOGE, established under the Trump 2.0 administration to oversee and cut government spending, announced its decision to slash $723 million in foreign aid funding as part of its broader budget overhaul plans.
The funding included the $21 million grant for India and also a $29 million programme to strengthen Bangladesh's political landscape.
Just days after returning to the White House, President Trump ordered a near-total freeze on all foreign aid, with Musk also announcing DOGE's intention of shutting down USAID, which has an annual budget of more than $40 billion to support development, health and humanitarian programmes around the world, especially in poor countries.
Since Trump took office in January, DOGE has cut $8.5 billion in federal spending, with individual contract cancellations averaging around $7.7 million.
Source: India Today