He might have publicly admitted that the U.S. has “lost” India, but this is only part of the story. He has overlooked the other half—the fact that his own actions are the main cause of this shift. Even if Trump had the intelligence to see this, his ego would block him from acknowledging it. In recent weeks, Trump and his allies, like Peter Navarro, have been aggressively criticizing India.In a recent post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump claimed that the U.S. has “lost India and Russia to the deepest, darkest China.”
While it’s true that India and Russia are getting closer to China, Trump has ignored the fact that his own policies, such as high tariffs and harsh comments about India, are the main reason for this change. Experts say this is a significant shift, signaling the start of a new global order.Trump’s actions have hurt the relationship between the U.S. and India, pushing New Delhi to form closer bonds with China and Russia. India’s Ministry of External Affairs has not commented on Trump’s statements about losing India.
The growing geopolitical changes and India’s diplomatic caution in the face of U.S. tensions are, in fact, driven by Trump’s tough trade policies and his administration’s harsh words.Former U.S. diplomat John Bolton, who once served as National Security Advisor, said, “The West spent decades trying to move India away from its Cold War ties with the Soviet Union and Russia and warned it about the dangers of China.
Donald Trump has destroyed all that with his bad tariff policies.”The latest blow to U.S.-India relations came from U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, one of Trump’s close allies. Lutnick said that soon, India will come back to the table and apologize to Trump. He also claimed that India does not want to open its markets, stop buying from Russia, or leave the BRICS group.
He criticized India for being between Russia and China and suggested that India should support the U.S. or face tariffs.Trump’s tariffs have caused backlash and strengthened the bond between India, Russia, and China. The U.S.-India relationship, built over decades of diplomacy and mutual trust after the Cold War, has worsened since Trump imposed a 50% tariff on Indian goods and attacked India over its continued purchase of Russian oil.
Trump accused India of profiteering and supporting Russia in its war against Ukraine. His aide, Peter Navarro, even called it “Modi’s war,” which India denied, saying that buying affordable Russian oil is in its national interest.Meanwhile, Trump’s 145% tariffs on China, which are delayed for 90 days, have unintentionally pushed India closer to Russia and China. This was clearly seen at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Chinese President Xi Jinping showed friendly camaraderie.
A picture of Modi and Putin laughing and hugging went viral.The Tianjin SCO Summit marked the start of a new world order. Modi’s visit to China after seven years signaled a thaw in India-China relations following the Galwan clash. Xi’s call for India and China to be friends, not enemies, shows this shift. At the same time, Russian President Putin warned Trump that the days of the U.S. dictating terms to countries like India are over, reinforcing India’s push for a multipolar world and multilateralism as a counter to U.S. dominance. Putin said, “The colonial era is over.”It’s clear that Trump is to blame for the cold relationship between the U.S. and India.
Trump’s aide, Peter Navarro, in a post on X, attacked Indians, calling them “Brahmins” who are making profits from Russian oil. He even posted a picture of Modi meditating out of context, showing the personal nature of the attack.Experts say that Trump’s harsh policies, high tariffs, and negative remarks have broken the once-strong bond between the U.S. and India. They hold him responsible for pushing New Delhi closer to Moscow and Beijing as India seeks strategic autonomy.
Former diplomat Bolton said Trump’s tariffs have “shredded” efforts to align India with the West, pushing it towards China and Russia.Former U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns warned that alienating India undermines U.S. strategic goals. “Trump’s misguided tariffs have weakened our alliances with Japan, South Korea, and India. It’s a major miscalculation. We need their help to counter the China-Russia-North Korea axis,” Burns said.American lawyer and investment banker Jim Rickards noted that Trump’s tariffs are backfiring, leading India to trade more with non-Western countries.
The close relationship between Trump and Modi, along with the U.S.-India bond, seems to be over. Trump’s claims of brokering an India-Pakistan ceasefire and calling India’s economy “dead” have only angered India. India’s refusal to stop buying Russian oil shows its commitment to strategic autonomy. With Trump’s policies isolating India, New Delhi, as a sovereign nation, is strengthening its ties with China and Russia to secure its future.
