Washington is reeling from a stark reality: India’s trade diplomacy has surged ahead of America’s under the Trump administration’s faltering tariff strategy. According to Veda Partners co-founder Henrietta Trese, speaking to CNBC, India has inked twice as many trade agreements this year compared to the US, leaving policymakers in the capital scrambling.
Trese highlighted the growing frustration among US lawmakers. ‘The buzz in Washington is that India has signed 100% more deals than Donald Trump this year,’ she noted, pointing to the administration’s inability to convert aggressive rhetoric into tangible outcomes. Despite bold promises—like Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and USTR Jamison Greer pledging 90 deals in 90 days—the US has managed just two in ten months, with Cambodia and Malaysia.
The stalled South Korea deal exemplifies the woes. Before this administration, 96% of US-South Korea trade fell under a free trade agreement with zero tariffs. Now, progress has ground to a halt, exacerbating concerns. Trese emphasized that wielding tariffs as leverage has backfired spectacularly against key partners like the EU, Japan, and South Korea.
Public sentiment adds fuel to the fire. Half of Americans want the Supreme Court to strike down tariffs, undermining the White House’s economic narrative. With no major trade pacts materializing, Republican poll numbers are slipping nationwide. Trese warned that trade policy remains a drag on the president’s approval ratings and the party’s broader fortunes.
As Trump pushes a ‘sell America first’ approach to economic engagement, the political fallout from stagnant trade growth is impossible to ignore. The White House faces mounting pressure to deliver voter confidence on the economy, but current policies are proving counterproductive.