 "'Trump has shredded decades of efforts': John Bolton calls US's India tariff policy 'disastrous'")
Former US National Security Adviser John Bolton has said that President Donald Trump “has shredded decades of efforts” made by the West to strengthen diplomatic and strategic ties with India with his “disastrous” tariffs.
“The West has spent decades trying to ween India away from its Cold War attachment to Soviet Union Russia, and cautioning India on the threat posed by China. Donald Trump has shredded decades of efforts with his disastrous tariff policy,” Bolton said.
He added that there is still time to fix the situation, but noted that “it’s going to take a lot of work” and that the work toward finding a solution has not begun yet.
The West has spent decades trying to ween India away from its Cold War attachment to Soviet Union Russia, and cautioning India on the threat posed by China. Donald Trump has shredded decades of efforts with his disastrous tariff policy.https://t.co/A2skT581Fi
— John Bolton (@AmbJohnBolton) September 1, 2025
Bolton served as the US NSA during Trump’s first presidency from 2018 to 2019 before he resigned from the post over foreign policy differences. The ex-official highlighted that Trump’s narrow economic approaches have larger geopolitical consequences.
He warned that Trump’s tariff-first strategy risks damaging key economic and diplomatic relationships. By imposing punitive trade measures on India, he said, Washington may have allowed Beijing to deepen ties with New Delhi and shift the regional balance.
Last month, Bolton’s home was raided by FBI agents in an investigation officials said was linked to classified documents. Trump, asked about the FBI searches, said he was "not a fan" of his former aide but did not know about the law enforcement operation ahead of time.
“We’re in the very early stages of an ongoing investigation into John Bolton,” Vice President JD Vance said in an interview with NBC News.
“Classified documents are certainly part of it,” Vance said, and there was also “broad concern” about Bolton.
With inputs from agencies
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