India-US Ties: Amid America’s pivot towards Pakistan, a former US Ambassador has suggested that the White House under President Donald Trump has spoiled the three decades of relationship-building between the United States and India. The remarks come at a time when many US officials have made statements praising Pakistan and its Army Chief Asim Munir. The Pakistani army has been behind many terror attacks carried out in India, and thus, Trump’s tilt towards Islamabad has caused unease in New Delhi’s power corridors.
Speaking about the changing geo-political situation and dynamics of India-US ties, former US Ambassador Rahm Emanuel said that he would not have done what Trump did. “‘Take India, that has been a 30-year project of every Democrat-Republican administration to bring them closer to the United States orbit and literally, US spit in their faces, as we did under this administration,” said Emanuel.
Ripping into the Trump administration’s foreign policy, Rahm Emanuel said that four former US Presidents have invested years in building close ties with India but Trump completely rejected New Delhi. “We have picked Pakistan over India,” he remarked.
Trump’s growing ties with Pakistan
Since India’s May 2025 Operation Sindoor against Pakistani terror infrastructure, US President Donald Trump has been growing closer to Pakistan, especially Asim Munir. Notably, Munir visited Trump twice in White House and even signed an agreement with the US for critical mineral exploration in Pakistan. Since the United States and Israel’s joint war against Iran that started on February 28 this year, Trump has increasingly relied on Pakistan, using Islamabad as its messenger and conduit.
Pakistan hosted the first round of peace talks between Iran and the United States in Islamabad. After the talks, Trump has praised Munir multiple times. After extending the Iran ceasefire unilaterally, Trump took cover behind Pakistan’s leaders. The US President asserted that he decided to extend the ceasefore as it was requested by Pakistan’s military chief Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
President Trump had earlier praised Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Asim Munir for hosting the talks. He said that under Sharif and Field Marshal Munir, Pakistan has a very ‘kind and very competent leadership’. Trump, on multiple occasions, has referred to Munir as his ‘favourite field marshal’.
Notably, Rahm Emmanuel is likely to run for US President in 2028. This is not the first time Emanuel has bashed Trump for his Pakistan pivot. In October last year, he had said that US President Trump has thrown away the relationship with India because of ‘his ego and some money from Pakistan that was paid to his son’.
