Washington D.C., USA: Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna has drawn sharp criticism online after speaking out against former U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent 50% tariff on Indian goods. Khanna, a Democrat and co-chair of the U.S.-India Caucus, argued that Trump’s trade policy is damaging decades of bipartisan efforts to strengthen ties between Washington and New Delhi. He urged the Indian-American community to raise their voices on the matter.
“Trump is undoing 30 years of progress in the U.S.-India partnership,” Khanna said. “By imposing a 50% tariff on India—higher than on almost any other country except Brazil, and even higher than on China—he is hurting India’s textile and leather exports to the U.S.”
Khanna added that the move is not only harming Indian exporters but also negatively impacting American manufacturers and U.S. exports to India. According to him, these policies are pushing New Delhi closer to Beijing and Moscow.
Explaining what he believed to be the underlying reason, Khanna alleged that Trump acted out of personal resentment. “Why is this happening? Simply because Prime Minister Modi refused to nominate Donald Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize. Pakistan did. And India dismissed Trump’s attempts to insert himself into the Kashmir issue by calling it a domestic matter. That bruised his ego,” he remarked.
Calling on the Indian-American community, Khanna said they must not let Trump’s personal grievances damage a key strategic alliance. “To all Indian-Americans who supported Trump—where are you now, as he dismantles this relationship?” he asked.
While some Indian-Americans supported Khanna’s stance, others lashed out at him on social media. Detractors accused him of siding with Modi rather than addressing issues like Ukraine. One user wrote, “Why don’t you go back to India and run for office there? India has benefited from the U.S. for years without giving much back.”
Another critic accused Khanna of ignoring Modi’s ties with Russia, saying, “Modi is bankrolling the war in Ukraine while the U.S. pours billions into his economy. He openly embraces Putin, and yet Ro Khanna is defending him instead of standing with Ukraine.”
