Former US National Security Advisor (NSA) Susan Rice has recently characterized India as a "proud and strong nation" that might be compelled to "go in a different direction" because of the political strategies employed by the Trump administration. Rice made these remarks at an event organized by the Council on Foreign Relations, a think tank. She believes that the distance created between the two countries is a "huge loss" for the US.

Rice criticized the Trump administration for disrupting the progress made by previous administrations, both Democratic and Republican, over the past 30 years, who had "assiduously" worked to strengthen the relationship between the US and India. She attacked the Trump administration for allegedly discarding these efforts within a matter of weeks, attributing this to a tariff policy ostensibly aimed at India's relationship with Russia over Ukraine. However, she suggested that the policy seemed driven more by "personal pique" and President Trump's tendency to take credit for de-escalating tensions between India and Pakistan.

Rice noted that New Delhi did not embrace Trump's narrative of conflict mediation, which reportedly led to friction. She stated that India, as a "proud and strong nation," might choose a different path, which would be a significant loss for the United States. She also pointed out President Trump's repeated attempts to claim credit for reducing tensions between India and Pakistan, "which became a key cause of the strained relationship between India and the United States".

Despite these criticisms, recent events suggest a potential thaw in the New Delhi-Washington relationship. President Trump and Prime Minister Modi have recently spoken and exchanged warm greetings. On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump called Prime Minister Narendra Modi to extend greetings on his 75th birthday. Prime Minister Modi, in a post on X, called Trump his "friend" and thanked him for the wishes.

However, despite this recent thaw, Rice criticized the broader trajectory of US-India ties under Trump. She argued that the US approach under Donald Trump had driven India closer to Russia and China, citing India's participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.

Former US NSA John Bolton has also criticized Trump's tariff policy on India, calling it a mistake and accusing Trump of acting in bad faith. Bolton noted that India faced harsher tariffs than even Pakistan or Bangladesh, and called the selective sanctions policy unfair, especially with China and Russia spared fresh sanctions.