‘Nominate him for…’: Trump's former ally advises PM Modi to do THIS amid tariff war

Former US National Security Advisor John Bolton has mocked United States President Donald Trump for his tariffs against India and commented on his obsession with the Nobel Prize. Drawing attention to Pakistan’s evolving strategy in handling Trump, Bolton, who serves as Trump's NSA during his first term, pointed out that Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan’s Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, are actively working on “figuring out a better way to play Trump.” Suggesting India do the same kind of manipulation to suit its own interests, Bolton sarcastically proposed that India should nominate the US president for the Nobel Prize.

Trump and the Nobel Prize

In a sharp and sarcastic remark, Bolton said, “My only suggestion to Prime Minister Modi is he could offer to nominate Trump twice for a Nobel Peace Prize,” mocking Trump’s eagerness for recognition and implying that such gestures could influence his foreign policy decisions. So far, five countries have nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. Last week, Armenia and Azerbaijan's heads of state jointly urged the Nobel Committee to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Trump. "Who, if not President Trump, deserves a Nobel Peace Prize?" both the leaders asked. Last month, Cambodia endorsed him for the prize after he struck a peace deal between Cambodia and Thailand amid border clashes. In June, Israel sent an official letter to the Nobel Committee nominating Trump for stopping the 12-day war between Iran and Israel. In May, after India's Operation Sindoor, Pakistan nominated him for helping both countries in striking a ‘ceasefire.’

‘Pushing India towards Russia’

Meanwhile, Bolton criticised Trump's tariff policy on India, warning it could drive India closer to China and Russia. In an interview with CNN, Bolton said the tariffs, meant to hurt Russia, are instead damaging long-standing US-India relations. He called Trump’s approach "an enormous mistake," noting that China has a far larger trade surplus with the US than India does. Bolton argued that Trump’s leniency toward China and tough stance on India undermine decades of American efforts to strengthen ties with India.

Trump's trade war against India

In continuation of ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs of April 2, Trump issued an executive order on July 31 that imposed modified tariffs on its trading partners, citing an ongoing national emergency. The US had paused the April 2 tariffs, giving countries a window of 90 days to sign a trade deal with America. In the new tariffs, the Trump administration imposed a 25 per cent tariff on India. Trump then announced an additional tariff of 25 per cent on India for buying Russian oil and warned about doing the same with other nations.

Meanwhile, in what seemed to be a response to Trump, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he won't compromise the interests of farmers, dairy farmers and fishermen of his country, even if he has to pay a price for it. Earlier, reports indicated that India is not agreeing to any terms by the US in the trade deal that would affect its farmers and dairy sector. Speaking at the MS Swaminathan Centenary International Conference, Prime Minister Modi said, "For us, the interest of our farmers is our top priority. India will never compromise on the interests of farmers, fishermen and dairy farmers. I know personally, I will have to pay a heavy price for it, but I am ready for it. Today, India is ready for the country's farmers, fishermen and dairy farmers..."