Daijiworld Media Network – Washington

Washington, Aug 21: Renowned US economist Jeffrey Sachs has strongly criticised President Donald Trump’s decision to impose punitive tariffs on India, calling it “the stupidest tactical move in US foreign policy.”

In an interview on the Breaking Points show hosted by Krystal Ball and Saagar Enjeti, Sachs said the move risked sabotaging America’s ties with one of its key Asian partners. “These tariffs on India are not a strategy; they’re sabotage,” he remarked.

The Columbia University professor noted that the 25 to 50 per cent tariffs had unintended geopolitical consequences, uniting the BRICS bloc — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — against Washington’s interests. “Donald Trump was the great unifier of the BRICS,” Sachs said, adding that the duties triggered unprecedented coordination within the forum.

Taking a sharp dig at US political leadership, Sachs further criticised Senator Lindsey Graham, calling him “the worst senator in the US” and “just a fool.”