Daijiworld Media Network - Washington

Washington, Aug 30: Former National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has sharply criticised President Donald Trump’s steep tariffs on India, warning they are harming the US’s global reputation and inadvertently boosting China’s image.

Speaking on The Bulwark podcast, Sullivan said, “China has moved ahead of the United States in popularity in a whole lot of countries… the US brand is in the toilet and China is looking like a more responsible player.” The tariffs, which Trump raised to 50% on Indian imports citing alleged unfair trade practices and New Delhi’s refusal to halt Russian crude oil imports, have sparked concern among US officials about strategic fallout.

Sullivan noted the tariffs risk pushing India closer to Beijing. “We were working to build a deeper, sustainable relationship with India… President Trump executed a massive trade offensive against them, and the Indians are saying maybe we have to sit with the Chinese as a hedge against America,” he said.

The former official added that US allies now see Washington as a “big disruptor” and are considering “derisking” from the US. India-China relations, which had been tense since the 2020 Galwan clashes, have recently warmed, partly due to these trade tensions.

Sullivan’s criticism joins a chorus of former US officials and experts voicing concern over Trump’s tariffs. John Kerry called the approach heavy-handed and diplomatically ineffective, while ex-aide John Bolton said the tariffs could push India closer to Russia and China. Economist Jeffrey Sachs called the punitive measures “the stupidest tactical move in US foreign policy,” highlighting the growing unease over America’s reliability on the global stage.