Navarro sought to pit Trump against Modi on trade: Ex-US NSA Bolton

John Bolton said Peter Navarro once tried to pit Trump against PM Modi on trade, but termed it a sideshow as real negotiators focused on resolving issues in good faith

US President Donald Trump’s Trade Adviser, Peter Navarro, once tried to start an argument between Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to John Bolton, the former US National Security Adviser, who told NDTV.

 

Bolton described it as a “sideshow” that could be ignored, noting that the real negotiators handling the trade talks between the two countries would sit down for discussions. India, he said, “can stay away from the threats and shouts in social media and just do the hard work and see if we can’t reach an accommodation here.”

 

He added, “I’m not saying these issues are going to be easy or quickly resolved, but I think there will be good faith on both sides, and that’s the way to try and work through it.”

 

Bolton’s remarks came after Trump softened his stance on India and said negotiations between the two countries to address the “trade barriers” would resume soon. While Trump expressed optimism, Navarro has been ramping up his criticism of India, accusing New Delhi of profiteering from its purchase of Russian oil and terming the Ukraine war as “Modi’s war.”

 

Navarro’s attempt to start an argument

 

Elaborating on when Navarro tried to provoke a fight, Bolton said it occurred during a meeting “where I had hoped that the two leaders would talk about strategic issues, such as dealing with China, dealing with enormous threats that we face through the rest of this century.”

 

However, Navarro wanted to focus only on what he considered unfair Indian trade practices. Bolton added that people in trade often do this, noting that grievances in trade are common.  ALSO READ | Donald Trump, PM Modi reignite hopes of trade deal at 'the earliest'

US-India trade ties

 

Commenting on trade relations, Bolton said that while commerce between the two nations is unquestionably important, some existential questions persist. “I’m not diminishing the importance of trade. It makes a huge difference in both economies. But let’s keep it in perspective,” he added.

 

India’s bilateral trade ties with the US came to a standstill after Trump imposed a 25 per cent “reciprocal tariff” on India, at a time when Washington secured trade deals with other countries, including China. Relations worsened when Trump announced an additional 25 per cent tariff on India for continuing to buy Russian oil, which he said helped fuel Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine.

 

Earlier this week, Trump urged the European Union bloc to impose a 100 per cent tariff on India and China, the two largest buyers of Russian oil, to pressure Putin. However, a Reuters report citing EU sources stated that the bloc is unlikely to impose tariffs on India.  ALSO READ | Indian IT firms slash H-1B dependence as US tightens immigration rules

Trump’s view of international relations

 

Trump’s recent softening stance towards India and his exchange of messages with Modi on social media signal a possible thaw in bilateral ties. Bolton noted that Trump sees international relations through the prism of his personal rapport with foreign leaders.

 

He said, “So from Trump’s perspective, if he and Prime Minister Modi have a good personal relationship, everything is fine between India and the United States. Obviously, it is much more complicated than that. But at least from the Trump perspective, it’s better than tweets and statements that are negative about Prime Minister Modi.”