In a viral exchange with Pakistani journalist Moeed Pirzada, American scholar Christine Fair stunned Indian audiences by casually calling Donald Trump a “ch***ya”
New Delhi: A video clip from Pakistani journalist Moeed Pirzada’s YouTube show Iconoclasts with Moeed Pirzada has gone viral, featuring American political scientist Christine Fair using the Hindi–Urdu slang “ch***ya” to describe U.S. President Donald Trump.
The remark, made casually during a discussion on U.S. foreign policy and India’s role in counterbalancing China, has sparked a wave of surprise and curiosity among Indian audiences, as the term is one of the most widely used insults across India.
Fair did not just use the word once—she repeated it multiple times in agreement with the host’s remarks on Trump. The exchange, while light-hearted in tone, has grabbed attention because of the bluntness with which an American academic deployed a colloquial South Asian slur for a sitting U.S. President.
Who is Christine Fair?
Carol Christine Fair, better known as C. Christine Fair, is an American political scientist and a prominent South Asia expert. She is currently an Associate Professor at Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, where she teaches in the Security Studies Program.
Fair has authored several books, including Fighting to the End: The Pakistan Army’s Way of War, and is widely known for her outspoken commentary on Pakistan’s military, terrorism, and regional security. Over the years, she has also attracted controversy for her blunt opinions, both in academic writing and public appearances.
While Fair has often been in the news for her strong views on Pakistan and terrorism, this latest episode has caught Indian social media by surprise for a different reason: her use of the word “ch***ya,” a common Hindi insult.
Many Indian users noted that it was unusual to hear an American academic, especially in a formal foreign policy discussion, employ the slang so comfortably.
Moeed Pirzada, the host of the show, is a well-known TV anchor, political commentator, geostrategic analyst, and editor at Global Village Space. The conversation was meant to cover U.S. policy shifts in South Asia — but the viral moment has shifted focus squarely onto Fair’s choice of words.
Prateeksha Kumari is a journalist and strategic communications professional specialising in digital journalism, political reporting, and public affairs. Her work focuses on grassroots issues, governance, and civic developments, with an emphasis on clarity, accuracy, and narrative-driven reporting.
She holds a Master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla and has qualified the UGC-NET examination, reflecting her academic grounding in media studies and communication research. Her reporting spans politics, public policy, health, education, and socio-economic issues, and she is experienced in bilingual (Hindi and English) content creation tailored to diverse audiences.
Alongside her journalistic work, she brings experience in political communication and public relations, where she has contributed to campaign messaging, media outreach, and narrative building. She has worked on integrated communication strategies across print and digital platforms, combining editorial judgment with audience insight and data-led content approaches.