Former US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan accused President Donald Trump of deliberately undermining the relationship with India to boost his family’s business deals in Pakistan.
Speaking on the MeidasTouch YouTube channel, Sullivan described the sabotaging ties with India as “one of the most underreported aspects of Trump’s foreign policy,” highlighting its far-reaching strategic consequences.
“For decades, on a bipartisan basis, the US has worked to strengthen its relationship with India, the world’s largest democracy—a country with which we should be aligned on technology, talent, economics, and in countering China’s strategic drift,” Sullivan said, adding, “Significant progress had been made on that front”.
“Now, largely due to Pakistan’s willingness to engage in business deals with the Trump family, Trump has sidelined the India relationship. This is a major strategic setback because a strong India-US partnership serves our core interests,” he added.
‘Our Word Should Be Our Bond’: Former NSA
The Biden-era official further emphasised that due to this, countries, including Japan, Germany, and Canada, will view the situation and say “that could be us tomorrow”. He warned that if US allies and other nations conclude they can no longer depend on Washington, it would ultimately harm America’s long-term interests. “And that only reinforces your view that you’ve got to hedge against the United States,” he added.
“Our word should be our bond. We should be good for what we say. Our friends should be able to rely on us, and that has always been our strength. And what’s happening with India right now has huge direct impacts. But it also has this reverberating impact across all our relationships and partnerships in the world,” Sullivan noted.
The Trump administration’s imposition of a steep 50 percent tariff on Indian imports has officially been framed as a response to trade deficits and India’s purchase of Russian oil. Yet reports from Jefferies and The New York Times reveal a deeper motive—India calling out Trump’s false claims regarding mediation attempts during Operation Sindoor amid the recent Indo-Pak conflict provoked the president’s ire, leading to the tariffs.
Meanwhile, Islamabad has drawn the Trump family into its economic sphere. Not only did it nominate Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, but it also brought his family into its newly established Pakistan Crypto Council (PCC).
Shortly after the Pahalgam attack, World Liberty Financial signed a deal with the PCC. This alliance has fueled expert assessments, including Sullivan’s, that Trump favoured Pakistan over India to advance personal and business interests.
India faced a 50 percent tariff, Pakistan was taxed just 19 percent. Initially targeting China in his trade war, Trump eventually backed off after Beijing retaliated with reciprocal tariffs.
