US Expert Calls Trump's India Tariff Move a ''Colossal Blunder''

John Mearsheimer, a well-known American political scientist and professor at the University of Chicago, has strongly criticized the Trump administration’s approach toward India. He called the decision to impose secondary tariffs on India for buying Russian oil a “colossal blunder” and said it simply won’t work.

Speaking on the podcast *Daniel Davis Deep Dive* last week, Mearsheimer said, “India has made it clear it will not stop importing Russian oil. They are not going to cave under pressure.”

He argued that when Donald Trump took office earlier this year, relations between the US and India were “terrific” and vital for balancing China. But the sanctions, he said, have badly damaged that partnership. “Instead of strengthening ties with India, we have poisoned the relationship,” he remarked.

Mearsheimer also cited a German media report claiming that President Trump had tried to call Prime Minister Narendra Modi four times, but Modi refused to take his calls. “The Indians are furious with us. Modi is getting closer to Russia and China, which makes this move not just ineffective but harmful,” he said.

The professor blamed White House trade advisor Peter Navarro for pushing a failed strategy. “Nobody outside Navarro and his circle supports this policy. The idea that India will bow to US pressure is unrealistic. Everything India has done so far shows the opposite,” he added.