‘Poster worth a thousand words’: Democrat points to PM Modi–Putin car photo in US Congress; warns Trump on India ties

The recent carpooling picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin found a place at US Congress discussion on India-US ties.

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"This poster is worth a thousand words," said US representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove, pointing towards the image, as she went on to slam the Donald Trump administration's foreign policy towards India.


"Trump's policies towards India can only be described as cutting our nose to spite our face... Being a coercive partner has a cost. And this poster is worth a thousand words," she said.


"You do not get a Nobel Peace Prize by driving US strategic partners into the arms of our adversaries," Dove said in a pointed attack at Trump's demands for the peace prize for what he has repeatedly claimed for having stopped eight wars, including India and Pakistan.

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"We must move with incredible urgency to mitigate the damage that this administration has done to the US-India partnership and return to the cooperation that is essential to US prosperity, security, and global leadership," she added.

These comments were delivered during the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on South and Central Asia’s hearing on 'The US-India Strategic Partnership: Securing a Free and Open Indo-Pacific'.

Trump has already slapped 50% tariffs on most Indian exports in August 2025 amid wider trade tensions and worries over India’s imports of Russian oil.

A US trade delegation was in India on December 10–11 for discussions that have so far made little headway. The talks have been bogged down by disputes over market access and tariff policies, further straining the trade relationship.