'Stupidest move in US history': Jeffrey Sachs says Trump tariffs gave BRICS a win, crushed India’s trust
Sachs singled out Navarro for particular ridicule: “I'll put him on the list of probably the most incompetent PhD that my former department ever granted.”
- Aug 21, 2025,
- Updated Aug 21, 2025 7:24 AM IST
Economist Jeffrey Sachs torched Senator Lindsey Graham on Breaking Points, branding him “the worst senator in the US Senate” and “just a fool,” while slamming Trump-era tariffs on India as “the stupidest tactical move of US foreign policy for a long time.”
Sachs, a Columbia University economist and former UN adviser, didn’t hold back. “I just want to be on the record stating that,” he said of Graham, adding, “I will state that every show you have me on.”
The economist's scathing commentary extended beyond political personalities to policy. Sachs condemned the Trump administration’s imposition of a 25% penalty tariff on India — a move he said backfired catastrophically. “What it did overnight was unify the BRICS countries as never before,” Sachs said, pointing to increased coordination among Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa in the aftermath.
“Donald Trump was the great unifier of the BRICS,” Sachs added. “I like the BRICS, by the way, but the opposite of what Lindsey Graham or Peter Navarro could have been thinking happened.”
Sachs singled out Peter Navarro — Trump’s trade adviser and an economist — for particular ridicule: “I'll put him on the list of probably the most incompetent PhD that my former department ever granted.”
Navarro, who holds a doctorate in economics from Harvard, was dismissed by Sachs as someone who “apparently learned nothing” and “certainly didn't take my class.”
The fallout, according to Sachs, was strategic and long-lasting. “Going after India — a country the US has been cultivating — destroyed trust,” he said. “Even if the tariff is removed, the Indians learned a lesson: you cannot trust the United States.”
Graham offered a baffling geopolitical theory, claiming that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Alaska was triggered by Trump threatening a 50% tariff on India for buying Russian oil. “If they go after Russia’s oil customers... they would pick the American economy,” Graham asserted.
Economist Jeffrey Sachs torched Senator Lindsey Graham on Breaking Points, branding him “the worst senator in the US Senate” and “just a fool,” while slamming Trump-era tariffs on India as “the stupidest tactical move of US foreign policy for a long time.”
Sachs, a Columbia University economist and former UN adviser, didn’t hold back. “I just want to be on the record stating that,” he said of Graham, adding, “I will state that every show you have me on.”
The economist's scathing commentary extended beyond political personalities to policy. Sachs condemned the Trump administration’s imposition of a 25% penalty tariff on India — a move he said backfired catastrophically. “What it did overnight was unify the BRICS countries as never before,” Sachs said, pointing to increased coordination among Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa in the aftermath.
“Donald Trump was the great unifier of the BRICS,” Sachs added. “I like the BRICS, by the way, but the opposite of what Lindsey Graham or Peter Navarro could have been thinking happened.”
Sachs singled out Peter Navarro — Trump’s trade adviser and an economist — for particular ridicule: “I'll put him on the list of probably the most incompetent PhD that my former department ever granted.”
Navarro, who holds a doctorate in economics from Harvard, was dismissed by Sachs as someone who “apparently learned nothing” and “certainly didn't take my class.”
The fallout, according to Sachs, was strategic and long-lasting. “Going after India — a country the US has been cultivating — destroyed trust,” he said. “Even if the tariff is removed, the Indians learned a lesson: you cannot trust the United States.”
Graham offered a baffling geopolitical theory, claiming that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Alaska was triggered by Trump threatening a 50% tariff on India for buying Russian oil. “If they go after Russia’s oil customers... they would pick the American economy,” Graham asserted.