Donald Trump has imposed a total of 50% tariffs on India. He says the tariffs are a consequence of India buying Russian Oil. The tariffs on India are meant to deter purchase of Russian oil, which he believes will make Vladimir Putin more conducive to a deal regarding Ukraine. That is now it has worked out so far. The tariffs may not even be about the Ukraine War to begin with. But it is not a secret where Trump got this idea from. It could only ever be one person: Lindsey Graham.
Lindsey Graham was the first Trump-aide who had proposed action against India for purchasing Russian oil. He made that suggestion as far back as in June. The Senator from South Carolina has made the suggestion several times since then. He said in June itself that Donald Trump had told him that it was time to make a move on this.
‘India and China will face a 500% tariff from America for supporting Russia. They buy 70% of Putin’s oil and are funding Russia’s war machine. President Trump told me it’s time to move on this new sanctions bill,’ says U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham pic.twitter.com/r5MOJ7N3KO
— Shashank Mattoo (@MattooShashank) June 30, 2025
Most Indians did not take too seriously right then and they did not have any reason to. Lindsey Graham, after all, had been a relatively minor figure with regards to India until then. But little did they know that this is Trump’s Spirit Animal we are talking about. And Lindsey Graham always gets what he wants.
The John Bolton That Grovels Before Trump
John Bolton is something of a joke in Washington DC for his eternal love for ‘Forever Wars’. Bolton would bomb every country in every region across the world if it were up to him. Donald Trump had him in his administration during his first term as a court jester. His intention, no doubt, was to convince the countries he wanted to make deals with that war was always an option.
That charade did not last for long. John Bolton was never a huge fan of Trump and he did not make any attempt to hide it. Trump could never tolerate a person who did not massage his ego. Bolton was inevitably removed from his office before long.
Lindsey Graham knows it very well. And so he ingratiated himself before Trump. He stood behind Trump as a rock through all his ordeals. Graham never opposes him, or cautions him, no matter how ridiculous Trump’s actions are. He understood something about Trump that Bolton never did. That Trump will do whatever he wanted him to if he presented himself in a manner that boosts Trump’s ego.
So Lindsey Graham grovelled before Donald Trump. If you watch him speak about Trump in public, you would be forgiven for assuming he is Trump’s secret lover. For all his grovelling, Trump has rewarded him with what Graham craves most. The same thing John Bolton wants. Forever War.
Why MAGA hates Lindsey Graham
Lindsey Graham is not very popular with MAGA. Trump’s support base, in fact, hates the South Carolina Senator. Trump adores him, nevertheless, and his support base has to swallow the bile whether they want to or not.
MAGA has good reason to hate Graham. The former Presidential aspirant espouses every policy that they detest. Above all, Graham is a resolute supporter of Israel, a country that MAGA is not very fond of. Indeed, MAGA can be forgiven for believing that Graham prioritises Israeli interests above USA’s own.
Graham has been one of the most vocal supporters of Ukraine, in addition to that. He has strongly advocated continued US weapons supply to the war-torn country. Lindsey Graham proposed sanctions against Russia as far back as in December 2016 during his visit to Ukraine.
Graham said back then that he believed Russia hacked into the emails of the Democrat Party and John Podesta. He also accused Russia of hacking into his own campaign emails. He said, “We should tell the Russians that on no uncertain terms, you interfere in our elections, we don’t care why, we’re going to hit you and hit you hard, we’re going to introduce sanctions.”
The Senator made these allegations without any evidence whatsoever. In doing so, he betrayed the fact that he always wanted a conflict with Russia. He has never tried to hide the fact that he does, which makes MAGA hate him more. Donald Trump loves him anyway.
Why Donald Trump Loves Lindsey Graham
Donald Trump has no values of his own. What he craves above all else is acknowledgment and approval. And he craves them from people of his own class. He is a New York Businessman after all. Trump will always value the approval of someone such as Lindsey Graham than a Blue Collar worker from the Midwest.
Graham gives him that in abundance. He satisfies a desire in Trump that is imprinted on his soul. Graham is 70 years old now. He is at the twilight of his career. His political career is at a dead end. Graham has climbed as far he could. Trump’s Pet is the only station that he can aspire to right now. He will not let it go now that he has acquired it.
Why does he support Israel and Ukraine so much? Your guess is as good as mine. The heart wants what it wants. Through his continuous grovelling, he has acquired the means to fulfil his heart’s desires. He will always have Trump’s ear. Because he has found the Emperor’s weak spot.
