Trending Now
We have updated our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use for Eurasia Group and its affiliates, including GZERO Media, to clarify the types of data we collect, how we collect it, how we use data and with whom we share data. By using our website you consent to our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy, including the transfer of your personal data to the United States from your country of residence, and our use of cookies described in our Cookie Policy.
{{ subpage.title }}
Elon Musk speaks next to U.S. President Donald Trump (not pictured) in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 11, 2025.
Trump, Musk sow election interference controversy in India - and Europe
The fallout: India’s governing Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP,accused Congress Party Leader Rahul Gandhi last Thursday of having solicited foreign interference at a speaking engagement in England in 2024, before that year’s Indian elections. Congress denied the allegations and asked the government foran investigation of Trump’s claim.
The findings. On Monday, the Indian Finance Ministry reported that in 2024,USAID gave $750 million to seven projects related to agriculture, renewable energy, and health care, none of which was related to elections. Indian mediaalso reported that the funding was designated for Bangladesh, not India, to support youth civic engagement initiatives there before that country’s January 2024 elections – and that $13.4 million was utilized. Congress General Secretary in-Charge Jairam Rameshthen accused the BJP of spreading “fake news” about Gandhi and called the party “a procession of liars and illiterates.”
More than just India? While Russia has long been the focus of foreign interference allegations, the United States’ role in foreign elections is under the microscope as well. Musk stands accused ofelection interference in Romania and also was fiercely criticized for his interventions in the German election campaign by new Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who compared them to interference from Russia. “The interventions from Washington were no less dramatic and drastic and ultimately outrageous than the interventions we have seen from Moscow,” Merz said. “We are under so much pressure from two sides that my absolute priority now really is to create unity in Europe.”