India spared as Trump finds new villain in China

For months, President Donald Trump was like Gabbar Singh glaring at the Ramgadh villagers questioning how many countries are there importing crude oil from Russia. India got the brunt — 50% tariffs, angry speeches, and even taunts about being “Modi’s laundromat.”

But suddenly, tables have turned. In his latest Truth Social post, Trump thundered at NATO: stop buying Russian oil, slap Moscow with sanctions — and most dramatically — hit China with a “50 to 100% tariff dhamaka!” After swinging his hunter (tariffs) at India for months, Trump now points it at Beijing. Trump’s post accused NATO of being too soft, warning that buying Russian oil “weakens your bargaining power.” But the real shocker was his line that China has a “strong grip” over Russia and only massive tariffs can break that grip.

This marks a complete U-turn. Just weeks ago, Trump aides were mocking India with casteist barbs, calling it the Kremlin’s partner-in-crime. At the SCO summit, photos of Modi walking hand-in-hand with Putin and chatting warmly with Xi left Washington fuming. Trump even sulked: “We’ve lost India to darkest China.”

But now, like a filmi villain realizing he can’t afford to scare away the hero, Trump has softened. Last week, he called Modi a “great friend,” while his Treasury Secretary gushed: “Two great countries will solve this.”

Why the change? Simple — Washington’s nightmare is India, Russia, and China becoming a “trio of terror” for US strategy. So, Trump has decided: better to keep Modi close.

For now, India can relax. The bullets (tariffs) are flying towards China. And somewhere you can almost hear a filmi whisper: “Bach gaye” f or the time being.