‘Trump's Tariffs Forced India To Sit With China’: Ex-NSA Sullivan Says US Now Seen As Disruptor

Last Updated:August 30, 2025, 07:15 IST

Ex-US NSA Jake Sullivan hit out at Trump's tariffs on India and said that America is being seen as a "disruptor" by the allies and as the nation that cannot be counted on.

India-US tensions: Ex-NSA slams Trump over India tariffs (Reuters Image)

Former Security Adviser in the Biden administration, Jake Sullivan, slammed Donald Trump’s 50% tariffs on India, stating that he forced New Delhi to “sit with China" to counter the trade offensive launched by America.

He said that the countries in the world, including American allies, view the US as a “disruptor" and as the nation that “can’t be counted on".

His remarks come as the US’ “unjust" tariffs stirred tensions between New Delhi and Washington in recent weeks.

“When I go to these places now and I talk to leaders, they are talking about derisking from the United States. They now see the US as the big disruptor, the country that can’t be counted on," Sullivan said in The Bulwark Podcast with Tim Miller.

He praised China for projecting itself as a “responsible player at a global stage" and contrasted it with that of the US.

“China has moved ahead of the United States in popularity in a whole lot of countries. And that was not the case one year ago, where countries now are basically saying the US brand is in the toilet and China is looking like a responsible player," he said.

Citing India’s example, Sullivan said that both Republicans and Democrats tried to improve relations with India, however, Trump forced New Delhi to seek options in China.

“Take a look at India, as another example. Here’s a country that on a bipartisan basis, we were working and trying to build a deeper and more sustainable relationship with, and the China challenge loomed large in that. Now you have got President Trump executing a massive trade offensive against them, and the Indians are saying, ‘Well, I guess maybe we have to go show up in Beijing and sit with the Chinese because we got a hedge against America’," he said.

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