Washington, Oct 16, 2025: Former US Ambassador to Japan and ex-White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel has accused President Donald Trump of undermining decades of bipartisan diplomatic progress with India, claiming that the president acted “out of ego and for some money from Pakistan.”
Emanuel on US-India relations
Speaking in an interview, Emanuel emphasized the strategic significance of India as a counterweight to China. “As we talk about Japan and Korea, our mismanagement of India — a major, major counterweight against China — has been disastrous,” he said. “The President of the United States has literally thrown away 40 years of meticulous, strategic planning, and enhancing and warming the relationship.”
Emanuel, who served as White House chief of staff under Barack Obama (2009–2010) and as Chicago mayor (2011–2019), also served three terms in the US House of Representatives and worked as an investment banker.
Trigger for diplomatic breakdown
According to Emanuel, the deterioration of US-India relations began after Prime Minister Narendra Modi declined to endorse Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize following a ceasefire between India and Pakistan that Trump claimed to have helped broker. Emanuel said:
“He threw it all away because Modi would not say that the President deserves a Nobel Peace Prize for the ceasefire that he worked out. And the President, out of ego, and then out of money from Pakistan that was paying both his son and Whitkoff’s son.”
This remark appeared to reference an April 2025 business deal between the Pakistan Crypto Council and a company co-founded by Zach Witkoff, in which Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and Jared Kushner reportedly hold stakes.
Strategic concerns
Emanuel warned that Beijing has exploited Washington’s missteps, pointing to the growing Chinese presence in the Indian Ocean and rising tariffs on US goods. India has faced a 50% US tariff, though it resolved its recent border clash with Pakistan through direct military-level talks. Islamabad, however, credits Trump for brokering the truce and has reportedly nominated him for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize.