Will Trump be the president who lost India? US Lawmaker says tariffs are backfiring

A pointed warning rang out on Capitol Hill on Wednesday as Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove asked whether Donald Trump would become "the president who lost India," accusing the administration of straining one of America's most vital 21st-century partnerships through tariffs, visa hikes and political grievances.

Speaking during a hearing on the US-India Strategic Partnership, Kamlager-Dove said the relationship is foundational to America's position in emerging sectors from defence and energy to AI, space and advanced technologies.

"The US relationship with India will be defining for both countries in how we place ourselves in the 21st-century world order," she said. Working through the Quad, she added, "helps maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific."

She argued that President Trump inherited a partnership at the height of its strength earlier this year - with a revitalized Quad, growing defense-tech cooperation, strong supply-chain alignment and deep political goodwill - only to squander it. "Flush, flush, flush -- flushed down the toilet," she said, calling it a loss of diplomatic capital in service of Trump's personal grievances and at the expense of our national interest.

Her sharpest warning came with a historical edge: Trump, she said, risks becoming the president who lost India -- or more accurately, chased India away, even as he signals warmth toward Russia. She blamed his trade policies and what she described as a personal obsession with a Nobel Peace Prize for eroding trust.

TRADE POLICIES AND VISA FEES AT CENTRE OF DISPUTE

Tariffs and visa fees, she said, have become the biggest flashpoints. A 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods -- among the highest imposed on any country -- and a 25 per cent tariff on India-linked Russian oil imports have frozen top-level engagement and forced the postponement of the Quad Leaders Summit.

She also blasted the administration's new $100,000 fee on H-1B visas, noting that Indians hold 70 per cent of them. The move, she said, is a direct rebuke to the workforce that has powered US technology, science and medicine.

Kamlager-Dove said the rift is already feeding doubts across Asia. She argued that tariff battles and cancelled summits have sent a dangerous signal at a moment when China is watching closely. The approach, she said, is cutting off your nose to spite your face, causing "real and lasting damage" to trust between Washington and New Delhi.

She urged lawmakers to act quickly. The Congresswoman also confirmed India Today's reporting that a US-India trade deal had been on track for a July signing before being abruptly pulled back.

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