New Delhi: The White House seems to have entered into a damage control mode after US President Joe Biden's Xenophobic remark for countries including India, Russia, China and Japan. White House Press Secretary, Karine Jean Pierre, tried to play down by claiming that President Biden was trying to make a broader point. 

Pierre said that the allies of the United States are aware how much President Biden respects them, adding that US is a nation of immigrants. “Our allies and partners know very well how much this President respects them. He (Biden) was making a broad comment speaking about this country is speaking about how important it is to be a country of immigrants and how it makes our country stronger. And so that's what he was talking about as it relates to our relationship with our allies. That continues,” she said. 

“Obviously, we have a strong relationship with, India with Japan, and the President if you just look at the last three years has certainly focused on those diplomatic relationships,” she added. 

US is a Nation of Immigrants: White House 

White House Press Secretary, Karine Jean Pierre said that US is a nation of immigrants, adding that the President wanted to highlight the same. “The broader case that he was trying to make, which most leaders and allies across the globe understand that when it comes to who we are as a nation, we are a nation of immigrants. That is in our DNA. You have heard the President say it, it makes us better, and we are stronger for it and that is a very important point to know,” said Pierre. 

What Biden Said? 

Addressing a fundraising event in Washington for his 2024 re-elections campaign, Biden attributed immigration as the reason behind United State's economic growth. "One of the reasons why our economy's growing is because of you and many others. Why? Because we welcome immigrants," Biden said.

"Why is China stalling so badly economically, why is Japan having trouble, why is Russia, why is India, because they're xenophobic. They don't want immigrants. Immigrants are what makes us strong," he added.

Earlier last month, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicted that each country would see its growth decelerate in 2024 from the previous year, ranging from 0.9% in highly developed Japan to 6.8% in emerging India. It has been predicted that the US would grow at 2.7%, slightly brisker than its 2.5% rate last year. Many economists attribute better-than-expected performance partly to a migrants expanding the country's labor force.