U.S. Congressman Ro Khanna has sharply criticised President Donald Trump’s decision to impose sweeping tariffs on India, calling them “harsher than those on China” and warning that they threaten to unravel decades of bipartisan work to strengthen U.S.-India relations.
In a series of posts on X, Khanna, an Indian-origin Democrat and co-chair of the Congressional U.S.-India Caucus, accused Trump of letting personal grievances dictate policy. He claimed the president’s frustration stemmed from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s refusal to nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize.
“Trump is destroying 30 years of bipartisan work to build the U.S.-India strategic partnership because Modi refuses to nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize,” Khanna wrote. “He imposed higher tariffs of 50% on India than on China. Which Indian Americans who voted for Trump are speaking out?”
In an accompanying video, Khanna described the tariffs as a “five-alarm fire” for bilateral ties. He said Trump had imposed a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods—exceeding duties on nearly every other U.S. trade partner, including China—and warned the move was damaging trade in sectors such as leather and textiles, while also hurting U.S. manufacturers exporting to India.
Khanna further argued that the tariffs risk pushing India closer to China and Russia. “Why is this happening? For very simple reasons: Prime Minister Narendra Modi refused to nominate Donald Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize,” he said. “Pakistan did, but India has maintained that the border dispute with Pakistan is an internal matter, refusing to give Trump credit.”
The Congressman urged Indian Americans who supported Trump to reconsider their stance: “We cannot allow the ego of Donald Trump to destroy a strategic relationship with India that is key to ensuring America leads, and not China.”
His criticism echoed remarks by former U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, who accused Trump of jeopardising relations with New Delhi. In an interview with MeidasTouch Network, Sullivan alleged that Trump had “thrown away” ties with India partly due to Pakistan’s willingness to engage in business with Trump’s family. “America’s friends will look at this and think they can’t rely on us in any way,” Sullivan warned.
Under Trump’s directive, India now faces a combined 50 per cent tariff burden—25 per cent in reciprocal duties and an additional 25 per cent linked to its purchase of Russian oil—placing it among the highest tariff rates imposed by Washington anywhere in the world.
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