US Congressman Ro Khanna has escalated his criticism of President Donald Trump's foreign policy, asserting that the US-India relationship has reached its lowest point in 30 years. Addressing the IX USISPF Leadership Summit 2026 in Washington, DC, Khanna refused to "mince words" regarding the current state of global affairs. The Democratic lawmaker, who represents California's Silicon Valley and serves as co-chair of the Congressional India Caucus, stated that 'Donald Trump has really done such damage to the relationship. This is not opinion, this is fact.' Khanna's latest comments represent a significant escalation from his previous criticisms, highlighting the deterioration of bilateral ties under current US leadership. As per NDTV, he emphasized that 'The US-India relationship has been at the lowest point in the last 30 years. Trump's policies of getting into a war in Iran has been utterly destructive. It has been utterly destructive to the prices in India of gas.'
Khanna highlighted the significant impact of the Iran war on India's energy sector, stating that 'The war in Iran has exploded energy costs in India. You talk to people in India and they're standing in line to get natural gas. And it was totally unnecessary.' Speaking at the USISPF summit, he emphasized that 'Trump's policies of getting into a war in Iran has been utterly destructive. It has been utterly destructive to the prices in India of gas.' The congressman noted that 'Talk to Jaishankar if you don't believe me' regarding the domestic gas price impact, referring to Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. He criticized the administration's unilateral approach, stating that 'The idea that we engaged in a unilateral war without our allies, without even consulting Europe or Canada or India, and made a mess of the world, has hurt our credibility.' This situation has been attributed directly to the geopolitical tensions in the Middle East region, with Khanna emphasizing that 'India's energy choices will impact entire world' according to recent reports.
According to NDTV, Khanna expanded his criticism to include Trump's trade policies, stating that 'And then the irrationality of the tariff war. I was in China and the Indian ambassador said to me, ''A generation of trust has been lost by this president of yours.'' See, if we don't speak the truth about the damage that this president has done, not only at home but abroad, then we're just not living in reality.' Speaking at the USISPF summit, he further recounted a meeting in China where the Indian ambassador told him that 'a generation of trust had been lost' due to President Trump's actions. The congressman called for 'new leadership in this country that is going to have America be respected again,' suggesting a fundamental shift in America's approach to international relations. His latest comments contrast Trump's policies with those of FDR, emphasizing the need to rebuild global ties and restore credibility in US foreign policy. Warning that failing to speak the truth about the domestic and international damage done by the current administration is a refusal to live in reality, Khanna emphasized that 'The new generation is not only gonna have to rebuild America, we're gonna have to rebuild our relationships around the world.'
As reported by IANS, Khanna made similar remarks while addressing the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) Leadership Summit in Washington. According to IANS, he argued that the bilateral relationship should be 'rooted in shared democratic values rather than transactional interests.' This position reflects a broader critique of Trump's transactional approach to international relations and suggests a preference for more substantive partnerships based on shared democratic principles. His latest assertion that the relationship has reached a 30-year low underscores the severity of current diplomatic challenges between the two nations. However, USISPF's Al Mason claimed that US Ambassador Sergio Gor has played a key role in restoring communication between the two leaders, with Gor conveying to Prime Minister Modi that 'President Trump respects India's rise, President Trump admires Prime Minister Modi's leadership, and President Trump wants a stronger India-US relationship.' Mason noted that 'The historic Trump-Modi relationship, once the envy of the world, had entered a very challenging phase. Trade, domestic priorities, bureaucratic challenges, media noise.'
