Under Trump, US is ‘the country that can’t be counted on’: Ex-NSA Sullivan says ‘American brand is in the toilet’

Former US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has blasted US President Donald Trump for launching what he called a “massive trade offensive” against India, warning it risks pushing New Delhi closer to Beijing.

Speaking on The Bulwark Podcast with Tim Miller, Sullivan said many US allies now see Washington as “a big disruptor” rather than a dependable partner, while China has gained ground globally.

“When I go to these places now and I talk to leaders, they are talking about derisking from the United States. They now see the US as the big disruptor, the country that can’t be counted on,” he said.

Sullivan argued that America’s global image has suffered while Beijing’s has improved. “China has moved ahead of the United States in popularity in a whole lot of countries. And that was not the case one year ago, where countries now are basically saying the US brand is in the toilet and China is looking like a responsible player,” he noted.

Citing India as an example, Sullivan said Washington had been trying to build a deeper strategic partnership with New Delhi to balance China, but Trump’s tariffs undercut that effort.

“Take a look at India, as another example. Here’s a country that on a bipartisan basis, we were working and trying to build a deeper and more sustainable relationship with, and the China challenge loomed large in that. Now you have got President Trump executing a massive trade offensive against them and the Indians are saying, ‘Well, I guess maybe we have to go show up in Beijing and sit with the Chinese because we got a hedge against America’,” he added.