Trump Threw Away 40 Years Of US–India Ties Progress Out Of Ego And Pakistan Money: Ex-US Envoy Rahm Emanuel

Former US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel has accused President Donald Trump of undoing four decades of strategic progress in US–India ties, saying the move was driven by “ego” and “money from Pakistan", NDTV reported.

Emanuel said India could have been a crucial counterbalance to China’s growing influence, but Trump’s actions had “thrown it all away,” calling the loss a “major strategic blunder.”

The remarks were made during an interview with Meidastouch Network, where Emanuel, also former Chief of Staff to ex-US President Barack Obama, sharply criticised Trump’s foreign policy choices.

"...mismanagement of India, which is a major, major counterweight against China, not only on the manufacturing and technology side but also on the military side... The President of the United States has literally thrown away 40 years of meticulous strategic planning and preparation in enhancing and warming relationships through democratic administrations," Emanuel said.

"He (Trump) threw it all away because (Indian Prime Minister Narendra) Modi will not say that the President deserves a Nobel Peace Prize for the ceasefire that he worked out with the Pakistanis," he added, referring to Trump's repeated claims of brokering a peace between India and Pakistan after Operation Sindoor.

Trump mismanaged US' relations with India "out of his ego and for the money from Pakistan, which was paying both his son and the son of his aide, Steve Witkoff".

"This is a major strategic blunder that China has used to their advantage. That is on the strategic level," he said.

Emanuel’s comments referenced a cryptocurrency deal between Pakistan’s Crypto Council and a US fintech firm majorly co-owned by Trump’s sons Eric and Donald Jr, and son-in-law Jared Kushner.

The firm, led by Zachary Witkoff, reportedly signed a Letter of Intent with Pakistan in April.

Bilateral tensions have escalated since Trump doubled tariffs on Indian exports to 50 per cent, imposing an extra 25 per cent duty over India’s Russian crude imports.

New Delhi condemned the move as “unfair, unjustified, and unreasonable.”

India is the second-largest buyer of Russian fossil fuels behind China, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).

Washington has been maintaining that India is helping Russian President Vladimir Putin to finance the war through its purchase of Russian crude oil. New Delhi has consistently stated that its oil imports are guided by national energy security and affordability concerns, and that its stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict remains "independent and balanced".

The US maintains India’s oil imports from Russia indirectly support Moscow’s war against Ukraine.

However, New Delhi insists its energy policy is based on affordability and national security, reiterating its “independent and balanced” position on the Russia–Ukraine conflict.

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