How Trump Lost India: Tariffs, Taunts, and Truth Social Outburst Over Modi

Today, U.S. President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social: “Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China. May they have a long and prosperous future together!” That post wasn’t just a diplomatic jab—it revealed a presidency unraveling under grievance, projection, and strategic miscalculations.

The timing wasn’t random. Trump’s outburst followed the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi stood alongside Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin. The optics spoke volumes: a multipolar world in motion, and an India no longer willing to play second fiddle to Washington’s erratic overtures.

To understand the roots of this rupture, one must revisit the evolution of Modi–Trump ties.

From Houston to Hostility: The Modi–Trump Arc

The Modi–Trump relationship began in spectacle. The 2019 “Howdy Modi” event in Houston symbolized diaspora diplomacy and personal chemistry. By 2025, however, the warmth had curdled into transactional coldness.

The turning point: Operation Sindoor.

In June 2025, after the Pahalgam terror attack, India launched a counter-terror operation along its western frontier. New Delhi framed it as a sovereign response. Trump, eager for credit, claimed he had brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan—a claim India firmly rejected.

During a June 17 phone call, Trump reportedly pressed Modi to publicly acknowledge his role and even floated a Nobel Peace Prize nomination. Modi’s refusal hardened Trump’s stance. The fallout was immediate.

Strategic Alienation: Tariffs, Snubs, and Symbolism

Trump retaliated with punitive tariffs—up to 50% on Indian exports—citing trade imbalances and India’s continued purchase of Russian oil. His advisors, including Peter Navarro, reportedly labeled the Ukraine conflict “Modi’s war”—a rhetorical escalation that stunned Indian policymakers and drew sharp rebuke from India’s Ministry of External Affairs.

The Quad Summit, once a symbol of Indo-Pacific cooperation, now risks becoming collateral damage. India is set to host the summit later this year, but media reports say Trump has already pulled out, citing “strained ties.” He reportedly feared Modi would reject staged photo-ops or mediation attempts.

In public, Trump veered between calling Modi a “terrific man” and threatening tariffs so steep “your head’s going to spin.” His dismissive take on India-Pakistan tensions—claiming they dated back “hundreds of years”—exposed a troubling lack of diplomatic depth.

The World Knows What You Did Last Summer—and It Matters

President Trump rolled out the red carpet for Vladimir Putin in Alaska, hosted summit-level talks with Xi Jinping, and pushed toward a trade deal with China—before finalizing one with India. Yet when Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets the same leaders at the SCO Summit, suddenly it’s a problem.

This isn’t diplomacy—it’s optics, and it reeks of hypocrisy.

On August 15, 2025, Trump personally hosted Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson in Anchorage, despite Putin facing an ICC arrest warrant. The meeting was described by Trump as “extremely productive,” with visuals showing the two leaders sharing a ride in the presidential limousine. Meanwhile, in May 2025, Trump’s administration finalized a trade agreement with China, easing tariffs and suspending retaliatory measures—without consulting India or its Indo-Pacific partners.

Yet at the SCO Summit in Tianjin, Modi stood alongside Xi and Putin, asserting India’s strategic autonomy and engaging a multipolar world. Trump responded on Truth Social: “Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China.”

This isn’t about foreign policy. It’s about ego and optics. Trump may not grasp India’s nuanced diplomacy, but the world does. India isn’t defecting—it’s asserting. And the global community sees through the double standards.

U.S. Reaction: From Media Alarm to Strategic Anxiety

Trump’s Truth Social post today sparked swift reactions across American media and policy circles. CNN described the SCO summit imagery—Modi, Xi, and Putin sharing smiles—as “a chill down the spine of every American,” while The Washington Post warned of a “new axis of upheaval” challenging the U.S.-led global order.

Commentator Van Jones, speaking on CNN, called the imagery “a historic pivot,” adding, “The West is now in a box.”

Think tanks echoed the concern. Brookings analysts branded Trump’s post “a diplomatic own goal,” while the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) argued that the administration’s tariff-first approach was “undermining decades of bipartisan consensus on India as a strategic counterweight to China.”

With the 2026 U.S. elections looming, foreign policy has resurfaced as a central campaign issue. President Biden’s Indo-Pacific strategy—built on multilateralism and democratic partnerships—now faces pressure to recalibrate. India’s visible assertion of autonomy at the SCO summit complicates Washington’s narrative, forcing both parties to rethink how they engage New Delhi in a multipolar world.

Alienating Allies: Tariffs, Broken Promises, and Global Discontent

Trump’s indignation over India’s recalibration rings hollow given his global record of alienation. From the European Union to Canada, Brazil, and the UK, Trump’s tariff crusade resembled economic warfare.

In early 2025, he imposed sweeping tariffs—up to 50%—on trade partners with deficits against the U.S. Canada, blindsided by a 25% levy on steel, aluminum, and energy exports, retaliated with $60 billion in counter-tariffs. Prime Minister Mark Carney eventually backtracked, sparking domestic backlash and charges of surrender.

Similar scenes played out across Europe and Latin America. France and Germany complained of coercion, Brazil accused Washington of meddling, and the UK—despite post-Brexit promises—faced sudden levies on autos and steel.

Trump’s “America First” doctrine mutated into “America Alone”—where allies felt treated as adversaries, and diplomacy gave way to diktat.

India’s Response: Strategic Hedging, Not Defection

India’s SCO pivot was no defection. It was a declaration of autonomy. By standing with Xi and Putin, Modi signaled India would engage on its own terms—not through Western expectations or Trump’s ego.

The RIC (Russia–India–China) trilateral in Tianjin sent a clear message: India will not be bullied, bracketed, or baited. Instead, it will hedge, balance, and assert.

Unresolved border tensions with China remain a constraint, but India’s presence at the summit was calculated, not careless. It reflected pragmatism, not abandonment of allies. India continues to engage with the U.S. on defense, technology, and climate cooperation—but on terms that reflect parity, not patronage.

Trump’s Projection vs. India’s Pragmatism

Trump’s post today reveals more than diplomatic frustration. It underscores a presidency unable to reconcile its waning global influence. His strategy of insulting, isolating, and imposing has backfired.

India, once courted as a democratic bulwark, now finds itself caricatured as a defector. But the reality is sharper:

India isn’t defecting. India is defining.

And in defining its role, India reminds Washington—and the world—that respect, not rhetoric, remains the true currency of enduring partnerships.