Vance, Navarro & Trump resisting India trade deal: US Senator Ted Cruz

According to a report in Axios, a US media outlet, Cruz told donors in private meetings about “battling” the White House to accept a trade agreement with India. Axios cited audio recordings of conversations – reportedly provided by a Republican source.

When a donor asked who in the administration was resisting the deal, Cruz mentioned White House economic adviser Peter Navarro, Vance and “sometimes” Trump, the report said citing a nearly 10-minute-long recording from early and mid-2025.

The Texas Republican senator, who is eyeing a 2028 White House run, also warned that Trump’s tariffs could decimate the economy and lead to his impeachment. Cruz said that after Trump introduced the tariffs in early April 2025, he and a few other senators had a call with the President in which they urged him to stand down.

He said the lengthy call, which stretched past midnight, “did not go well,” and that Tru­mp was “yelling” and “cursing.”

Ties between India and US have strained over the past few months since the Trump-led administration imposed 50 per cent tariffs, including 25 per cent for buying Russian oil.

Trump has also been claiming credit for brokering the ceasefire between India and Pakistan in May last year, during Operation Sindoor, a claim denied by India. Earlier this month, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick claimed that the trade deal with India did not happen because Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not call President Trump.

However, since US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor has come to India earlier this month, efforts are underway to bring the ties back on track. Trade negotiators have had a call, and India has been invited to join Pax Silica — a strategic initiative by the US on critical minerals. Also, a three-member bipartisan US Congressional delegation met External Affairs minister S Jaishankar over the weekend.

On Monday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also extended greetings to India on the occasion of Republic Day and said the two nations share a “historic bond.” “From our close cooperation on defense, energy, critical minerals, and emerging technologies to our multi-layered engagement through the Quad, the US-India relationship delivers real results for our two countries and for the Indo-Pacific region,” he said.

“I look forward to working together to advance our shared objectives in the year ahead,” Rubio said in a statement.

Ambassador Sergio Gor also greeted India after attending the Republic Day celebrations.

Shubhajit Roy, Diplomatic Editor at The Indian Express, has been a journalist for more than 25 years now. Roy joined The Indian Express in October 2003 and has been reporting on foreign affairs for more than 17 years now. Based in Delhi, he has also led the National government and political bureau at The Indian Express in Delhi — a team of reporters who cover the national government and politics for the newspaper. He has got the Ramnath Goenka Journalism award for Excellence in Journalism ‘2016. He got this award for his coverage of the Holey Bakery attack in Dhaka and its aftermath. He also got the IIMCAA Award for the Journalist of the Year, 2022, (Jury’s special mention) for his coverage of the fall of Kabul in August 2021 — he was one of the few Indian journalists in Kabul and the only mainstream newspaper to have covered the Taliban’s capture of power in mid-August, 2021. ... Read More

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