US Foreign Policy Expert Calls Trump’s India Policy a Blunder; Urges Apology to India and Zero Tariffs
A senior American foreign policy expert has urged US President Donald Trump to withdraw the steep 50 percent tariffs on India and even “apologise” to New Delhi, warning that the move could harm Washington’s most important global partnership.
Edward Price, professor at New York University, described India as holding a “deciding vote” in shaping the 21st century. Speaking to ANI, he said the India-US partnership was central to balancing China and Russia but was now at risk because of Trump’s tariff policy.
“I consider the partnership between India and the US as the most crucial 21st-century partnership. This partnership will decide what happens between China and Russia. India has the deciding vote in the 21st century. I can’t for the life of me understand why the President of the US, in confrontation with China and in a war with Russia, then imposes 50% tariffs on India,” Price said.
He argued that the tariffs should not only be removed but cut to zero, adding, “We need to remove the 50% tariff on India and get it down to something far more reasonable, I suggest zero percent and apologise.”
Price also praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s handling of global rivalries, calling him “pretty smart” for keeping India’s options open without fully embracing Moscow or Beijing. He highlighted that Modi has avoided overt gestures such as attending China’s military parade, which signals India’s independent course in foreign policy.
“India is an independently minded sovereign with its own civilisation. It makes its own choices. There’s no way India is going to permanently put its feet on one side or the other,” Price said, dismissing suggestions that New Delhi could fall under Chinese influence.
Watch the interview here:
Trump’s tariffs on India include a 25 percent duty on Indian goods and another 25 percent linked to India’s purchase of Russian crude, making them among the toughest in the world. Trump has accused India of “fueling Russia’s deadly attacks on Ukraine,” even as his administration has stopped short of tougher sanctions on Moscow.
On his social media platform Truth Social, Trump recently described the trade relationship with India as a “one-sided disaster,” insisting that New Delhi’s offers to reduce tariffs on US goods came “too late.”
But Price warned that such an approach could weaken long-term cooperation between the world’s two largest democracies. “India has the deciding vote in the 21st century. Alienating it now makes no sense,” he said.
The remarks underline growing unease among US analysts about the risks of straining ties with India at a time when Washington seeks strong partners to counterbalance China and Russia.
