Another Leak

Invariably US President Donald Trump says one thing and means something completely different has, by now, become clear to the world.

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But those in the Indian ruling establishment who still set store by his words or false promises need to sit up and redraw their strategy visa-vis the USA under Trump. This is the inescapable conclusion one can draw from the latest leak of a purported conversation between Senator Ted Cruz, the Texas Republican, and Trump. Cruz, regarded as a close ally of Trump, has such a stature in American politics that he is eyeing a 2028 White House run. As such his confidential exchanges with the US President and American business leaders do carry weight and it is of much concern for India as they refer to US trade policies for India. The Senator pilloried Vice President JD Vance and ridiculed Trump’s tariff policy during private meetings with donors, according to recordings accessed by a media outlet.Cruz’s caustic remarks during two meetings last year are some of the harshest criticisms of Trump and Vance by a fellow Republican since they took office a year ago. The recordings have a duration of nearly 10 minutes in total, but they provide a glimpse into the way the US administration is working under Trump’s presidency and its negative stand on US trade relations with India endorsed by Trump himself. During his talks Cruz described Vance as a pawn of c