Jeffrey Sachs Blasts Trump’s Tariffs on India, Calls Them a Major U.S. Foreign Policy Blunder

Source: IndUS Business Journal

Updated: August 21, 2025

NEW DELHI— Prominent U.S. economist Jeffrey Sachs has sharply condemned former President Donald Trump’s decision to slap heavy tariffs on Indian imports, calling it one of the most damaging mistakes in modern American foreign policy.

Speaking on the Breaking Points program with Krystal Ball and Saagar Enjeti, Sachs said the punitive duties were “not a strategy, but sabotage,” arguing that the move backfired and only strengthened ties among emerging economies within the BRICS bloc.

“These tariffs on India are not a strategy; they’re sabotage. It’s the stupidest tactical move in U.S. foreign policy,” Sachs said. He added that instead of giving Washington leverage, the measure “unified BRICS like never before” and weakened America’s long-term position in Asia.

The Columbia University professor referred to Trump as “the great unifier of the BRICS,” noting that the 25 percent tariff quickly accelerated cooperation between Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. “The opposite of what Trump’s advisers thought would happen is exactly what happened,” Sachs remarked.

Sachs did not spare Trump’s allies either. He branded South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham as “the worst senator in the U.S.” and “a fool,” and criticized former White House trade adviser Peter Navarro as “probably the most incompetent Ph.D. my former department has ever granted.”

According to Sachs, the tariffs did lasting damage to U.S.–India relations by eroding years of carefully built trust. “By going after India, a country the U.S. has been cultivating for years, Trump destroyed trust overnight,” he said. Even if the tariffs are rolled back, he warned, New Delhi has already learned “you cannot trust the United States.”

The economist concluded that the duties had “zero practical impact” in terms of trade negotiations, while “completely undermining a strand of U.S. foreign policy built up over decades.” (Source: IANS)