India, April 24 -- Hours after US President Donald Trump amplified a controversial podcast describing India as a "hellhole," Washington moved quickly to contain the diplomatic fallout, with its embassy in New Delhi issuing a statement underscoring strong bilateral ties.

"The President has said 'India is a great country with a very good friend of mine at the top,'" a US Embassy spokesperson said, in a calibrated attempt to steady relations. The clean-up followed Trump's reposting of remarks by conservative commentator Michael Savage, who, during a podcast, grouped India and China among "hellholes" while arguing against birthright citizenship in the United States. Savage criticized laws granting citizenship to children born on American soi...