A widely shared photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi riding in a car with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the latter’s recent visit to India unexpectedly entered the halls of the US Congress. A Democratic lawmaker used the image to argue that President Donald Trump’s tariff-heavy and confrontational policies are weakening America’s strategic partnership with India and pushing New Delhi closer to Moscow.
Democrat Lawmaker Uses Poster to Criticise Trump’s India Policy
The image was displayed during a hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on South and Central Asia, which reviewed the current state of US-India relations.
Democratic Ranking Member Sydney Kamlager-Dove held up the photo and said it was the United States not India undermining the partnership.
“Trump’s policies towards India can only be described as cutting off our nose to spite our face, and this is doing real and lasting damage to the strategic trust and mutual understanding between our two countries,” she said.
Pointing to the poster, she added, “Being a coercive partner has a cost, and this poster is worth a thousand words.” She further remarked, “You do not get a Nobel Peace Prize by driving US strategic partners into the arms of our adversaries.”
“Trump Will Be the President Who Lost India,” Lawmaker Warns
Kamlager-Dove accused Trump of reversing decades of bipartisan progress. She said the Biden administration had handed Trump “a bilateral relationship at the height of its strength,” referring to “a revitalised Quad, a budding defence tech partnership and a trusted supply chain partner,” which were, in her words, “flush, flush, flush down the toilet.”
She cautioned that history could judge Trump harshly, “Unless he changes course, Trump will be the American President who lost India.”
Tariffs Become a Flashpoint
The discussion focused heavily on Trump’s 25 per cent “Liberation Day tariffs,” along with another 25 per cent duty on India’s imports of Russian oil adding up to a 50 per cent tariff burden.
Kamlager-Dove stressed that “The tariff rate on India is currently higher than the tariff rate on China,” calling the policy self-defeating and strategically damaging.
Modi–Putin Car Ride Becomes Diplomatic Symbol
During Putin’s two-day visit to Delhi, PM Modi personally welcomed him at the airport and then shared a car ride with him to the Prime Minister’s residence at Lok Kalyan Marg—an act described by both countries as a show of personal warmth. The two leaders had previously shared a car during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in China, travelling in a Russian-made Aurus sedan. That moment too was seen as a reflection of their close rapport.
Democrats Criticise H-1B Visa Fee Hike
Democrats also took issue with Trump’s newly imposed $100,000 fee on H-1B visas, “70 per cent of which are held by Indians.” Kamlager-Dove described the move as “a rebuke of the incredible contributions Indians have made” to the US economy and innovation sectors.
Experts Highlight Risks to Strategic Priorities
Dhruva Jaishankar of ORF America testified that trade negotiations “began before February 13” and by July, “the two sides had reached quite close” to a deal. He said India is actively pursuing free trade agreements and that “a solution… is at hand” if political will exists in Washington.
Other experts warned that the tariff dispute risks overshadowing vital priorities, such as countering China and securing global supply chains. Smith told the committee, “This has been a low-cost, high-benefit partnership for the United States. It would be strategic malpractice of the highest order to discard the trust we have built.”
Tariff Tensions Now the Biggest Strain in US–India Ties
The hearing made it clear that Trump’s escalating tariff measures have become the most contentious issue in US-India relations—one with significant geopolitical consequences, given India’s growing global role and its importance to US strategic interests.
