‘I guess they were trying to get somebody else elected’: Trump on US funding India turnout claims
The United States president neither mentioned when the alleged funds were disbursed, nor provided evidence to back his ‘guess’.
Join our WhatsApp Community to receive travel deals, free stays, and special offers!
- Join Now -
Join our WhatsApp Community to receive travel deals, free stays, and special offers!
- Join Now -
United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he “guessed” that the previous administration was “trying to get somebody else elected” in India by having allegedly provided $21 million to a nonprofit organisation “for voter turnout”.
“What do we need to spend $21 million on voter turnout in India?” Trump asked at an event in Miami. “I guess they were trying to get somebody else elected.”
He added: “We need to tell the Indian government because when we hear that Russia was trying to spend two dollars in our country, it was a big deal, right? They [Russia] took some internet ads for 2,000 dollars. This is a total breakthrough.”
Trump did not mention when the alleged disbursement of funds took place and did not provide evidence to back his claims.
On Sunday, the US Department of Government Efficiency announced that it had cancelled several international aid initiatives through the United States Agency for International Development “costing taxpayers’ dollars”. The Department of Government Efficiency is led by billionaire Elon Musk.
USAID is an independent agency that is mainly responsible for administering foreign aid and development assistance on behalf of the US government. Trump had on January 24 imposed a 90-day freeze on money distributed by the organisation pending a review by the US State Department.
The list of initiatives...
