Washington: Former US National Security Adviser John Bolton has said the once-strong personal rapport between Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has diminished, reflecting a broader downturn in India-US relations.
In an interview with British broadcaster LBC, Bolton argued that Trump tends to equate international diplomacy with personal chemistry between leaders — a view he described as flawed. “Trump had a very good personal relationship with Modi. I think that’s gone now. It’s a reminder to leaders, including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, that friendships can be useful but won’t shield them from the worst,” he remarked.
Bolton, who has frequently criticized his former boss, suggested that Trump’s policies have strained bilateral ties. Over the past year, Washington’s tariff actions and sharp rhetoric against New Delhi have contributed to one of the most difficult periods in the relationship in more than two decades.
In a post accompanying the interview, Bolton said the current administration’s approach had “set US-India relations back decades,” warning that it had inadvertently nudged India closer to Russia and China. “Beijing has positioned itself as an alternative to the United States, and Trump has played into that,” he wrote.
The former NSA noted that bipartisan efforts in Washington for years had been aimed at drawing India away from Moscow and aligning it more closely against Beijing, seen as New Delhi’s main strategic rival. “That progress has been undermined. It can be corrected, but right now, it’s a serious setback,” he cautioned.
Bolton has previously called the Trump administration’s decision to penalize India over its energy trade with Russia an “unforced error,” arguing that the move weakened trust in the partnership.
His latest comments come just weeks ahead of Trump’s scheduled visit to the United Kingdom from September 17 to 19. Meanwhile, Bolton himself remains under scrutiny as the FBI recently searched his Maryland residence and Washington office in connection with a classified documents probe.
