John Bolton slams Trump aide Peter Navarro’s attacks on India, calling them clueless and not reflective of American views.
Former US National Security Advisor John Bolton has fired back at Peter Navarro, a key advisor to Donald Trump, for his recent harsh words on India. Bolton says Navarro’s comments show a deep misunderstanding of global politics and don’t speak for most Americans.
“Look, Peter doesn’t know anything about world affairs. He really struggles to tell America’s friends apart, figure out who they should be, and how to treat them right,” Bolton told in an exclusive interview. He even joked, “If you left Peter alone in a room for an hour, he’d end up arguing with himself. That’s not great diplomacy.” Bolton stressed that these remarks are just a weird outlier from the Trump team, not the broader US opinion on India-US relations.
Navarro, Trump’s trade advisor, has been on the attack lately. He’s accused India of cashing in on cheap Russian crude oil and blamed Indian tariffs for hurting American jobs. He went further, calling India a “laundromat for the Kremlin” and making offensive caste-based claims, suggesting Brahmins are profiting from the Russian oil trade. These jabs have stirred up tensions in India-US trade talks.
Bolton urged India not to read too much into Navarro’s words as a sign of changing US policy. “India shouldn’t see this as a shift in America’s stance,” he said. Just this Tuesday, President Trump himself struck a positive note on social media, posting on Truth Social: “I’m pleased to announce that India and the United States are continuing negotiations to address trade barriers between our two nations. I look forward to speaking with my very good friend, Prime Minister Modi, in the coming weeks. I feel certain we’ll reach a successful conclusion for both our great countries!”
This friendly tone from Trump comes after he earlier backed off some tough positions and praised PM Modi. Still, Bolton criticized Trump’s unpredictable moves, like slapping 25% reciprocal tariffs on India last month—plus another 25% on top—for buying Russian oil and weapons. Bolton pointed out the inconsistency: “Why hit India but not China, Turkey, or Pakistan? China buys way more Russian oil, yet Trump hasn’t tariffed them or sanctioned violators. It’s erratic.”
Bolton, who also served as US Ambassador to the UN, called these tariffs part of Trump’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but not a standard trade issue. He advised the Indian government to treat this as a Trump-specific headache. “India should handle it as a one-off, take steps that protect national interests, and remember it’s not the bigger American view,” Bolton said. With ongoing India-US trade negotiations, experts hope cooler heads will prevail to strengthen ties between the two nations.
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