New Delhi / Washington — What was once proudly billed as “Mission 500”—a vision of a $500 billion trade partnership—has come crashing down as U.S.–India relations slide into crisis. President Donald Trump has reportedly scrapped his plans to attend the Quad leaders’ summit in India this fall, signaling a dramatic breakdown in the once warm rapport between him and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
According to insiders, Trump had personally assured Modi he’d come—but now, the promise is gone. The fragile summit invitation is likely collateral damage in a web of growing friction: trade wars, relentless claim-making, and diplomatic cold shoulders.
It all began with Trump’s repeated—and widely denied—claims of having ended a brief India-Pakistan conflict in May. No such peace deal occurred, and Modi, frustrated, cut communication. Trump’s insistence on being nominated for the Nobel Prize only added salt to the wound. When Modi bristled, relations turned sharply icy.
Then came the economic blow: the U.S. slapped 50% tariffs on Indian goods, accusing New Delhi of funding Russia’s war through its oil purchases. Indian officials called the move “unjustified” and reaffirmed their right to independent energy policy. Business meetings collapsed, trade talks were canceled, and trust evaporated.
The international fallout has been swift: India is accelerating outreach to China and Russia, even as the future of Quad hangs in the balance. For many, Trump’s absence from New Delhi isn’t just a scheduling change—it’s a symbol of a deep, destabilizing rupture between two of the world’s most influential democracies.
