Ex-US Security Adviser Rips Tariffs on India, Says America’s Brand Is Suffering

Former US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has launched a scathing attack on President Donald Trump’s trade policy towards India, warning.

That sweeping tariffs are eroding America’s credibility and pushing New Delhi closer to Beijing. “The American brand globally is in the toilet. Look at India. Trump has executed a massive trade offensive against them. Now India is thinking, we have to sit down with China to hedge against America,” Sullivan said on The Bulwark Podcast with Tim Miller.

Sullivan argued that many allies and partners now see Washington less as a dependable power and more as a disruptor, while Beijing is steadily gaining ground in influence. India, he said, exemplifies this shift.

For years, US administrations had sought to deepen ties with New Delhi on a bipartisan basis, especially as a counterweight to China. But Sullivan warned that Trump’s tariff offensive risks undoing that progress. “Here’s a country we were trying to build a deeper, more sustainable relationship with. Instead, because of these tariffs, India now feels compelled to explore closer engagement with China,” he said.

His comments follow the US decision to impose a 50% tariff on Indian exports — the highest duty levied on any country — effective August 27. The move is expected to hit key sectors including textiles, jewellery, and mechanical appliances, raising concerns over jobs and growth in India.

Trump has defended the additional 25% hike as retaliation for India’s continued purchase of discounted Russian oil amid the Ukraine war. However, a report by investment banking firm Jefferies suggested that the escalation also stemmed from Trump’s frustration at being rebuffed in his bid to mediate the India-Pakistan conflict earlier this year, with long-running agricultural disputes adding further strain.