Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna has declared that the US-India relationship is at its lowest point in three decades, attributing the decline to President Donald Trump's policies. Speaking at the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum Leadership Summit in Washington on Monday, Khanna did not hold back his criticism.
Khanna's Blunt Assessment
"Now, you know I'm not one to mince words. I sort of tell things as they are. The US-India relationship has been at its lowest point in the last 30 years," Khanna said. The California Democrat specifically pointed to Trump's policies regarding Iran as a key factor. "Trump's policies of getting into a war with Iran have been utterly destructive. It has been utterly destructive to the prices of gas in India. Talk to (External Affairs Minister S) Jaishankar if you don't believe me," he added.
Loss of Trust
Khanna revealed that during a recent visit to China, India's ambassador there told him that "a generation of trust has been lost by President Trump." He stressed the importance of speaking truth about the damage caused. "If we don't speak the truth about the damage this President has done...we are not living in reality," said Khanna, who is a presumptive 2028 presidential hopeful.
Broader Foreign Policy Critique
Khanna slammed Trump's foreign policy approach, describing it as "might makes right." He criticized threats against Iran and Cuba, as well as the idea of conquering Greenland. "Now you have an America that has forgotten that moral vision, that has a foreign policy of might makes right, threatening not just Iran, threatening Cuba, threatening to conquer Greenland, and we were having dinner as if everything is normal," he said. He added, "Who cares about the partnerships of this and that when this President is literally destroying America's leadership in the entire world?"
Immigration and Talent
The congressman also condemned Trump's rhetoric on immigration. "The demagoguery about immigrants, the demagoguery of this President and talking about the lack of immigrants coming into the United States. How can we sit here and not condemn his policies on what he has done with student visas, with the demonization of talent coming to the United States?" Khanna questioned.
Artificial Intelligence and Talent Drain
Khanna highlighted the contradiction in Trump's stance on artificial intelligence. He noted that 38% of top AI researchers are of Chinese origin and 72% have foreign degrees. "This is a President who doesn't understand that we need to be recruiting talent, not turning talent away," Khanna said.
Political Outlook
Khanna described Trump as a "lame duck" and expressed confidence that Democrats would win the upcoming mid-term elections and the 2028 presidential elections decisively.
