'Poster speaks a thousand words': US lawmaker uses Putin–Modi car selfie to slam Trump’s 'coercive' India policy

US Representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove on Thursday used Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s well-circulated car selfie with Russian President Vladimir Putin during his recent India visit to illustrate what she described as the consequences of the Trump 2.0 administration’s recent approach toward New Delhi.

“This poster is worth a thousand words,” the US Representative said while presenting it at a hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on South and Central Asia.




Kamlager-Dove argued that the administration’s confrontational stance on trade and immigration has weakened a relationship that is central to US interests in defence, energy, AI, space and emerging technologies.

“Trump's policies towards India can only be described as cutting our nose to spite our face... Being a coercive partner has a cost,” she said.

She further warned that Donald Trump might become “the president who lost India.”

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The US lawmaker advised that the country must act swiftly to restore the trust and cooperation with New Delhi which is essential for its economic strength, security posture and global standing.

“You do not get a Nobel Peace Prize by driving US strategic partners into the arms of our adversaries. We must move with incredible urgency to mitigate the damage that this administration has done to the US-India partnership and return to the cooperation that is essential to US prosperity, security, and global leadership,” Kamlager-Dove added.

‘Damaging India, hurting American biz’

Meanwhile, in the same session, Representative Pramila Jayapal shifted focus to the economic front, highlighting trade barriers and tough immigration rules as outsized burdens on businesses and cross-border professional ties.

“Tariffs are damaging India’s economy and hurting American businesses and consumers,” she said.

“Meanwhile, threats to legal immigration pathways echo past discriminatory quotas, and as the only member of Congress to have held both a student visa and an H1B, I’m committed to ensuring strong legal pathways for people from India and around the world,” Jayapal added.

She noted that tariff battles—intensified by President Trump’s recent threat of duties on Indian rice exports—are already hurting producers and consumers in both countries.

Trump’s latest threats

Trump’s latest warning of tariffs came after several American farmers told him that cheaper imports from India, Vietnam and Thailand were depressing domestic prices. During a White House meeting, farmers argued that low-cost rice was undercutting US producers.

The businessman-turned-president questioned why additional duties had not already been imposed on India and vowed to “take care” of what he called rice dumping, signaling that new tariffs may soon be considered.

Also Read | "Damaging India, Hurting America": US Representative sounds alarm on Trump's tariff, immigration policy

Trump’s remarks, prompted by complaints from US farmers about cheaper imports, added friction to an already delicate round of bilateral trade talks held in India on December 10–11.

Those negotiations, stalled for months over disagreements on market access and tariff levels, are now under further pressure.

With earlier US tariff hikes still in place and new measures being considered, the path toward a stable trade arrangement between Washington and New Delhi appears increasingly uncertain.