Key Points

"The fact is, India has not been lost to China. India has been inducting an effort over the last year to ease tensions with China. President Trump himself has signalled at times during his second administration that he wants to work closely with China, cooperating on peace and security. The President is only reflecting the unhappiness that he has with the Indian government on a number of issues, including India's refusal to make all concessions in trade talks and India not letting Trump take credit for him playing a role in the India-Pakistan ceasefire... Even if it's not true, as a rhetorical point it is significant," Kugelman told ANI.

Trump's remarks came just days after India, Russia and China presented a united front at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin.

Writing on his Truth Social account, Trump said, "Looks like we've lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest China. May they have a long and prosperous future together!"

The comments follow a series of sharp statements from Trump against both India and China over trade. Last month US President imposed a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods, over New Delhi's purchase of Russian crude oil.

On recent comments by US officials on India, South Asia analyst, Kugelman said, "There is a divide between Trump and his close aides in the White House and the leaders elsewhere in the government department. Much of the inflammatory rhetoric against India is coming from Trump and his top advisers... This doesn't help the India-US relationship at all."

On September 1, the US Embassy in India shared an optimistic post on the enduring friendship between Washington and New Delhi and called it a defining relationship of the 21st century.

In a post on X, the embassy said, "The partnership between the United States and India continues to reach new heights -- a defining relationship of the 21st century. This month, we're spotlighting the people, progress, and possibilities driving us forward. From innovation and entrepreneurship to defense and bilateral ties, it's the enduring friendship between our two peoples that fuels this journey. Follow the hashtag and be a part of #USIndiaFWDforOurPeople."

It shared a quote by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who called the friendship between the peoples of India and the US to be the bedrock of cooperation.

In a radio interview last month, Trump also defended his tariff policy, saying, "China kills us with tariffs, India kills us with tariffs, Brazil kills us with tariffs. I've understood tariffs better than any human beings in the world. India was the most highly tariffed nation in the world, and you know what, they've offered me no tariffs in India anymore. No tariffs. If I didn't have tariffs, they would never make that offer. So you have to have tariffs."

Trump has repeatedly described India as America's "most tariffed partner," calling the trade relationship a "totally one-sided disaster." He has argued that while India sells large volumes of goods to the US, it has historically kept tariffs so high that American businesses cannot effectively access the Indian market.

Despite his tough stance, Trump himself is under domestic pressure. A US appeals court recently ruled that several of his tariff measures were "illegal".

- ANI