“Nothing To Worry About”: Trump Flip-Flops On India, From ‘Lost To China’ To ‘Special Relationship’ With US Amid Tariff Tensions

US President Donald Trump has once again stirred debate over India–US ties with contradictory remarks made within hours of each other, India Today reported.

On Friday (5 September), Trump, in a Truth Social post, suggested that Washington had “lost” India and Russia to China, only to later clarify that he remained committed to what he called a “very special relationship” with New Delhi.

Speaking to reporters, Trump said he was “very disappointed” with India’s continued imports of Russian oil and added that his administration had imposed a steep 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods in response.

When asked about his post on US losing India to China, the US President replied, "I don’t think we have. I’ve been very disappointed that India would be buying so much oil, as you know, from Russia. And I let them know that. We put a very big tariff on India. 50 per cent tariff, very high tariff."

Yet, in the same breath, Trump softened his stance, emphasising his personal rapport with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“I get along very well with Modi. He’s great. He was here a couple of months ago,” the President noted, India Today reported.

He insisted that disagreements on policy would not overshadow his friendship with the Indian leader.

Responding to a question on whether he was ready to reset relations with India, Trump replied, "I always will. I'll always be friends with (PM) Modi. He's a great Prime Minister. I'll always be friends, but I just don't like what he is doing at this particular moment. But India and the United States have a very special relationship. There is nothing to worry about. We just have moments on occasion".

The comments followed a post on Trump’s Truth Social account where he shared an image of Prime Minister Modi alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the recent Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin.

In that post, Trump had hinted that the US had “lost” India and Russia to the “deepest, darkest China,” remarks that triggered speculation of worsening ties.

India, however, chose not to respond.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters, “I have no comments to offer on this post at this moment.”

The India-US bilateral ties have indeed been strained, particularly since Washington imposed the new tariffs last month.

The US levied a combined 50 per cent duty on Indian goods, citing New Delhi’s refusal to scale back energy trade with Moscow.

Still, Trump projected optimism about ongoing negotiations, saying, “Trade talks are going great. Other countries are doing great. We are doing great with all of them.”

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Also Read: Trump Says US Has "Lost" India And Russia To "Deepest, Darkest, China"