Former US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has accused Donald Trump of undermining decades of bipartisan progress with India by prioritising his family’s business dealings with Pakistan.
“I think because of Pakistan’s willingness to do business deals with the Trump family, Trump has thrown the India relationship over the side,” Sullivan said in a podcast conversation with MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas. “That is a huge strategic harm in its own right because a strong US-India relationship serves our interests.”
Sullivan’s remarks come at a time when India-US relations have hit turbulence after Trump imposed 50% tariffs on Indian goods and hosted Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir for lunch at the White House.
Sullivan argued the fallout goes beyond India. “But imagine every other country in the world, your Germany, your Japan, your Canada. You look at that and you say that could be us tomorrow. And that only reinforces your view that you got to hedge against the United States.”
“And having all of our friends and countries around the world decide they just can’t rely on the US in any way, shape or form. That is not in the interest of the American people long term. Our word should be our bond. We should be good for what we say. Our friends should be able to rely on us. And that has always been our strength.”
Sullivan also criticised Trump’s tariffs, calling them self-defeating. “It certainly isn’t going to serve the interests of the US. All it’s going to do is end up with these tariffs at heightened levels that are going to directly increase the costs of goods that Americans buy and take more money out of their pocketbooks with these just kind of vague promises of what we’re getting on the other side of it. I’ve never seen anything like it. And I think it is not a way to do business.”
Trump’s links with Pakistan have come under scrutiny in recent months. On April 26, World Liberty Financial Inc. (WLFI) – a crypto exchange majority-owned by the Trump family – signed a Letter of Intent with the Pakistan Crypto Council. WLFI lists Donald Trump as “Chief Crypto Advocate,” with Donald Jr, Eric Trump and Barron Trump in leadership roles. CBS News reported that Trump’s personal fortune has surged through these ventures, with crypto now accounting for nearly 40% of his net worth.