Amid Trump tariffs, Jaishankar quips about the 'T' word: 'Landscape changed in a year'

S Jaishankar

External affairs minister S Jaishankar has said that US has significantly altered the way it engages with the world, and that this shift is particularly profound in the technology domain.

Speaking at the Carnegie Global Tech Summit 2025 in New Delhi, Jaishankar also drew a direct link between US President Donald Trump’s ‘Make America Great Again’ (MAGA) agenda and the central role of technology in driving it.

“US has fundamentally changed its approach to engaging the world, and it has consequences across every domain,” Jaishankar said.

“But the tech consequences, I believe, would be particularly profound, and it will be profound not just because the US is the largest economy, the main driver, in a way, of global tech advancements, but also because it's very clear that tech has a big role in making America great again," he added.

He added that this connection between MAGA and technology has become far more apparent now than it was during Trump’s first term. “There is a connection between MAGA and tech, which perhaps was not so clear between 2016 and 2020,” he said.

Jaishankar also commented on how China’s progress is contributing to a rapidly evolving geopolitical landscape.

“The changes in the United States, which all of you are as familiar if not more than me, I think is one big shift in the last year,” he said. “But there's the other shift, and that's an evolution, you can say. It's something which appears, even if it is not, more of an unfolding rather than dramatic events. And that is the advancement of China.”

Reflecting on Europe’s position, Jaishankar said the continent has lost its previously advantageous geopolitical balance. “Five years ago, I think Europe probably had the best geopolitical situation. It had worked out the ideal triangulation between the United States, Russia, and China. Today, every side of that triangle is under stress,” he remarked.

Adding a light moment to his address, the external affairs minister referred to the summit’s focus areas. “We have gathered here today to discuss the other 'T' word. And I do want you to reflect on the connection between the first T and the second T,” he said, hinting at tariffs following an earlier focus on technology. “But we also are gathered in a very changed landscape from what it was just a year ago.”

He also lauded the summit’s theme—Sambhavna (possibilities)—saying it aptly captured India’s perspective on the shifting geo-tech order. “In a view of the geo-tech landscape, how do we see the world? In my view, Sambhavna's possibilities are an appropriate theme for this year. And it is natural that when we speak about change and the 'T' word, we begin with the United States,” Jaishankar said.

The Carnegie Global Tech Summit 2025 brings together global policymakers, technologists, and strategic thinkers to explore how emerging technologies are reshaping geopolitics, economic policy, and global alliances.