US President Donald Trump once again brought up USAID’s alleged $21-million grant for “voter turnout” in India, claiming that his administration had canceled it. This marks the third time he has mentioned the issue, and this time, he stated that the grant was given to his “friend,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“And $21 million going to my friend, Prime Minister Modi, in India for voter turnout. We're giving $21 million for voter turnout in India. What about us? I want voter turnout too,” Trump reportedly said at the Governors' Working Session.

Notably, an Indian daily on Friday alleged that the $21 million grant was originally meant for Bangladesh, not India. However, these claims were later refuted.

Before this, Trump had suggested that the grant was originally given away by the Biden administration in 2014 because “they wanted someone else in power,” prompting the BJP to accuse Congress of election manipulation.

What was Trump’s first comment?

Trump initially questioned why $21 million was given to India, a country with significant financial resources.

“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. I have a lot of respect for India and their Prime Minister, but giving $21 million for voter turnout? In India? What about voter turnout here?” Trump remarked.

The controversy erupted after the Department of Government Expenditure (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, announced the cancellation of the $21 million grant on February 16. In a post shared on X, DOGE outlined several foreign assistance programs that had been deemed unnecessary or excessive, with the India voter turnout project topping the list.