US envoy Sergio Gor says India ties intact, Congressman counters with a China story
Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna slammed US President Donald Trump for his "utterly destructive policies", saying that it has caused the diplomatic relations between the two
Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna slammed US President Donald Trump for his "utterly destructive policies", saying that it has caused the diplomatic relations between the two sides to be at its lowest in 30 years. His remarks, made at the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum Leadership Summit in Washington, were in stark contrast to US Ambassador Sergio Gor, who exuded confidence at the same event that the friendship between the two nations will stand the test of time. Read Full Story Recalling his recent China visit, Khanna said that the Indian envoy there told him that a "generation of trust" has been lost due to Trump's policies. "Now, you know I'm not one to mince words. I sort of tell things as they are. The US-India relationship has been at its lowest point in the last 30 years," the California Democrat said during his speech. "Trump's policies of getting into a war with Iran have been utterly destructive. It has been utterly destructive to the prices of gas in India. Talk to (External Affairs Minister S) Jaishankar if you don't believe me," Khanna further said, adding that the truth about the damage that Trump has done needs to be spoken else "we are not living in reality".
#WATCH | Washington DC, USA: At the IX USISPF Leadership Summit 2026, Congressman Ro Khanna says, "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 pic.twitter.com/867p47S08G— ANI (@ANI) June 30, 2026 Calling the 80-year-old a "lame duck", Khanna said that partnerships do not matter any more when the President is ruining the US's leadership in the entire world. "The demagoguery about immigrants, the demagoguery of this President and talking about the lack of immigrants coming into the United States. How can we sit here and not condemn his policies on what he has done with student visas, with the demonisation of talent coming to the United States," he further said. Mocking Trump's remarks on the US being the frontrunner in AI, the Congressman said, "38 per cent of the top AI researchers are of Chinese origin. 72 per cent have foreign degrees. This is a President who doesn't understand that we need to be recruiting talent, not turning talent away." Sergio Gor, however, is confident about the ties between the US and India remaining intact.
He has emphasised that no matter the chatter around, Washington and New Delhi's friendship will continue to bloom. The US envoy said that an Indian Minister told him that the relationship between the two nations will remain solid even after 50 years. "I was with a minister in New Delhi a couple of of weeks ago, and he said to me, he said, 'No matter what you hear in the news, 50 years from now, our two countries will still be friends. You're the world's oldest democracy, we're the world's largest democracy.' And the second part that he added to that is, 'We have the same principles when it comes to democracy, which include robust opposition, by the way'. Not every nation has that," Gor said. He stressed that courtesy multiple commonalities between Washington and Delhi, their relationship will always be sustainable. Gor, however, threw shade at India's neighbours – without taking any name – by saying that the country is located in a tough part of the world where things can change if the neighbours simply "wake up in a bad mood".
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