American tariffs on India has sparked a larger debate, not only in the United States but in other parts of the world as well. With Russia and China backing India, the concerns in Washington have been growing about closer ties between Beijing and New Delhi. While US President Donald Trump has claimed that India was sanctioned due to the purchase of Russian oil, experts continued to see some hidden factors behind the move. Now, a report in the New York Times has revealed that Trump imposed sanctions on India as New Delhi hurt his ego by not endorsing him for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Modi’s Rejection Of Trump’s Ceasefire
According to a report in The New York Times, U.S. President Donald Trump revisited the India-Pakistan ceasefire issue during a phone call with PM Narendra Modi on June 17, expressing pride in what he described as his role in halting military escalation. He even remarked that Pakistan was planning to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize — an award he had long sought — and hinted that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi should consider doing the same.
The suggestion did not sit well with Modi. He reportedly pushed back, making it clear that Washington had played no part in the cease-fire, which had been negotiated directly between India and Pakistan.
While Trump brushed aside Modi’s objections, the exchange — particularly Modi’s unwillingness to endorse his Nobel ambitions — is seen as a key moment that strained the once-close rapport between the two leaders, a relationship that had been strong since Trump’s first term in office.
Also Read: 50% Tariffs On India Are Driven By Trump’s ‘Personal Pique’: Jefferies Report
Trump’s Failed ‘Modi-Munir’ Handshake Plan
According to the report, when Trump called Modi while returning from Canada, where the two leaders met, he invited the Prime Minister to White House, an invitation rejected by Modi. Officials in New Delhi were reportedly alarmed by the possibility that Donald Trump might attempt to orchestrate a handshake between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir, who had also been invited to a White House lunch around the same period. To them, it was yet another indication, a senior Indian official observed, that Trump had little regard for the depth of the dispute or the historical sensitivities tied to it.
Eroding Trust On Trump’s Credibility
According to the report, there was a discussion about arranging another phone call to seal a limited trade agreement. But as confidence between the two leaders continued to fray, New Delhi grew cautious about putting Prime Minister Modi back on the line with Donald Trump. According to a senior Indian official, the concern was that Trump might post his own version of events on Truth Social, regardless of what was actually agreed during the conversation.
Also: Former US NSA Jake Sullivan DESTROYS Trump, Says His Tariffs Push India Closer To China
Trump’s QUAD Visit In The Dock
The distrust between Modi and Trump is now all set to hit the QUAD. India, Australia, Japan, and even the previous US administration have worked hard to build QUAD, but Trump’s personal ego and his greed for the Nobel Peace are all set to destroy QUAD. Significantly, although President Trump had earlier informed Prime Minister Modi that he would travel to India later this year for the Quad summit, he now seems to have abandoned those plans to visit New Delhi.