Washington/New Delhi: In a major accusation, former American National Security Advisor (NSA) Jake Sullivan has said that US president Donald Trump is sacrificing ties with India to boost his family’s business deals in Pakistan.
He called the ‘sabotaging’ of ties with India “one of the most underreported aspects of Trump’s foreign policy”.
“For decades, on a bipartisan basis, the US has worked to strengthen its relationship with India, the world’s largest democracy – a country with which we should be aligned on technology, talent, economics, and in countering China’s strategic drift. Significant progress had been made on that front,” the Biden-era NSA said in an interview to the MeidasTouch YouTube channel.
“Now, largely due to Pakistan’s willingness to engage in business deals with the Trump family, he has sidelined the India relationship. This is a major strategic setback because a strong India-US partnership serves our core interests,” he added.
This revelation may provide answers to several questions, including why Trump decided to impose 50% tariff on India and host Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir at the White House. Trump’s claim of punishing India for purchasing Russian crude has already been called out by Jefferies and The New York Times.
Trump’s family-backed World Liberty Financial (WLF) signed a deal with the Pakistan Crypto Council days after the Pahalgam terror attack in India’s Jammu and Kashmir that left 26 innocents dead. His administration has imposed just 19% tariff on Pakistani goods.
“Imagine being a Germany, a Japan, or a Canada and watching this unfold, one would think, ‘That could be us tomorrow. It only reinforces the idea that you must hedge against the US. If our allies conclude they cannot rely on us in any way, shape, or form, it is not in the best long-term interest of the American people,” Sullivan said.
“What’s happening with India will have direct and reverberating effects across all of our relationships and partnerships worldwide,” he added.
Sullivan had earlier said that China was looking like a responsible player on a global stage, while the US brand was “in the toilet”.
“When I go to these places now, and I talk to leaders, they are talking about de-risking from the United States. They now see the US as the big disruptor, the country that can’t be counted on,” Sullivan had said in The Bulwark Podcast with Tim Miller.
“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 added.
On April 26, barely four days after the Pahalgam terror strike, Islamabad had launched the Pakistan Crypto Council (PCC) with the aim to make the country South Asia’s crypto hub. The PCC signed a deal with WLF, a decentralised finance platform.
Founded in 2024, the WLF is 60% owned by DT Marks DEFI LLC, linked to Trump’s sons Eric and Donald Trump Jr, and son-in-law Jared Kushner. The WLF homepage features “Inspired by Donald J Trump” and his portrait, with Trump as “Chief Crypto Advocate”. WLF focuses on blockchain innovation and stablecoin adoption.
