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‘Has a cost’: US Representative points flaws in Trump's India policies, cites Putin-Modi picture
Sydney Kamlager-Dove described the famous car selfie of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Russian President Vladimir Putin as speaking “a thousand words”.
US representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove on Wednesday (local time) described President Donald Trump's policies as “cutting off the nose to spite the face”.
Speaking at the House Foreign Affairs South and Central Asia Subcommittee's hearing in Washington, Kamlager-Dove described the famous car selfie of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Russian President Vladimir Putin as speaking “a thousand words”. She said that Trump’s policies would come at a cost.
“Trump's policies towards India can only be described as cutting our nose to spite our face... Being a coercive partner has a cost. And this poster is worth a thousand words. You do not get a Nobel Peace Prize by driving US strategic partners into the arms of our adversaries,” ANI quoted the representative as saying.
"We must move with incredible urgency to mitigate the damage that this administration has done to the US-India partnership and return to the cooperation that is essential to US prosperity, security, and global leadership," she added.
Fresh tariff on Indian rice?
Trade tensions between India and the US have escalated further following comments by Donald Trump on Tuesday.
Trump warned of possible new tariffs on India's rice exports, accusing New Delhi of "dumping" cheap rice into the American market and harming US farmers. These remarks were made during a White House meeting where he announced a $12 billion aid package for American agricultural producers.
Rice mill owner Meryl Kennedy complained that low-cost imports from India, Vietnam and Thailand were driving down domestic prices. Trump responded by questioning why additional duties had not been imposed on India and said he would "take care" of the alleged dumping, signalling that fresh tariffs could soon be considered.
A US trade delegation is in India on December 10-11 for negotiations that have struggled to yield substantial progress. The ongoing talks have been hindered by disagreements over market access and tariff measures, further straining the trade relationship.
The United States had earlier imposed 50 per cent tariffs on most Indian goods in August 2025 amid broader trade disputes and concerns over India's purchases of Russian oil. Trump's latest warning has added fresh uncertainty to already difficult negotiations, heightening the risk of further trade friction between the two countries.
