As governments worldwide scrambled to sway President Donald Trump and secure favorable trade terms before his so-called reciprocal tariffs took effect this week, India wagered heavily on a single Trump insider – and lost.
According to a report Saturday from Politico, India had paid $1.8 million to Jason Miller, a longtime Trump ally who was the president’s chief spokesman during his 2016 campaign, and senior advisor for his 2020 and 2024 campaigns, and Miller was paid, according to Justice Department documents obtained by Politico, for “strategic counsel, tactical planning and government relations assistance.”
Yet despite having the president’s ear, India’s $1.8 million bet failed to pay off, with India ending up being slapped with among the highest tariff rates of any nation at 50%, in large a response to the country continuing to buy Russian oil, undermining Trump’s leverage to end the Russian-Ukraine war.
“I think the current leadership in Washington seems to be disrupting the traditional way of doing things,” said Mukesh Aghi, CEO of the U.S. India Strategic Partnership Forum, speaking with Politico.
“It’s not just about the business part, it’s about diplomacy, it’s about dealing with other nations. I think the whole old model of trying to influence does not seem to work.”
Trump was reportedly “completely upset” with Indian leadership over its refusal to budge on key demands of the White House, a frustration that even a well-paid Miller apparently couldn’t overcome. In response, India has slapped back at the United States, pausing a previously planned purchase of billions of dollars’ worth of American-made weapons.
As to Miller’s failure to sway Trump, one lobbyist told Politico that traditional lobbying efforts don’t work on the current president.
“From my perspective, the best way to lobby President Trump is for the leader to face-to-face lobby him,” said Tami Overby, a partner at the South Korean lobbying group DGA Group Government, speaking with Politico.
“It seems President Trump, he always talks about his relationships with other leaders. You know, whether we’re in a good spot with that country or not [depending] if he feels like he’s got a good relationship. And he sees himself as a deal maker.”