India - India on Thursday criticized President Donald Trump for sharing an "inappropriate" social media post that called the South Asian country a "hellhole."
Late Wednesday, Trump posted on social media a rant denouncing the US constitutional right to citizenship for everyone born in the country.
The post accused Indian immigrants in the tech industry of not hiring white native-born Americans and alleged that Indian immigrants lack English proficiency.
"A baby here becomes an instant citizen, and then they bring the entire family in from China or India or some other hellhole on the planet," the post said.
The comments came as Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to travel to India next month as he seeks to turn the page on recent tensions between the normally friendly powers.
Indian foreign ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal described Trump's post as "obviously uninformed, inappropriate, and in poor taste."
"They certainly do not reflect the reality of the India-US relationship, which has long been based on mutual respect and shared interests," they added.
The Hindu American Foundation also said they were disturbed by the "hateful, racist screed," predicting that it will "further stoke hatred and endanger our communities."
Trump, who has made a sweeping crackdown on immigration a signature policy, has taken aim at visas commonly used by Indian tech workers.
The president's sparring with the country also contrasts decades of efforts by previous US presidents to strengthen relations, as India is seen as the world's largest democracy and a counterweight to rival China.