Washington: US President Donald Trump on Friday reiterated his criticism of India’s trade tariffs, calling them “massive” and alleging difficulties in selling American products in India. Trump, known for his aggressive stance on trade since assuming office on January 20, emphasized his administration’s determination to tackle tariff disparities.
“India charges us massive tariffs. Massive. You can’t even sell anything in India… They have agreed, by the way, they want to cut their tariffs way down now because somebody is finally exposing them for what they have done,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
#WATCH | Washington, DC: US President Donald Trump says, “…India charges us massive tariffs. Massive. You can’t even sell anything in India…They have agreed, by the way; they want to cut their tariffs way down now because somebody is finally exposing them for what they have… pic.twitter.com/XwytKPli48
— ANI (@ANI) March 7, 2025
Throughout his term, Trump has consistently targeted India and several other countries over what he terms unfair trade practices and high tariffs.
Earlier this week, during his address to a joint session of Congress, Trump described global tariffs against the US as “very unfair.”
“Other countries have used tariffs against us for decades, and now it’s our turn to start using them against those other countries,” Trump said in his address, marking the start of his second presidential term.
Highlighting the tariff disparity, Trump specifically pointed out, “On average, the European Union, China, Brazil, India, Mexico, and Canada – have you heard of them? – and countless other nations charge us tremendously higher tariffs than we charge them. It’s very unfair.”
He further singled out India’s automobile sector, stating, “India charges us auto tariffs higher than 100 per cent.”
Since entering office, Trump has enacted multiple tariff measures and issued threats aimed at rectifying trade imbalances. He has promised the implementation of “reciprocal tariffs” beginning April 2.
“An eye for an eye, a tariff for a tariff, same exact amount,” Trump had declared during his election campaign.
During last month’s joint press conference with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House, Trump commented that India has “been very strong on tariffs.”
“I don’t blame them, necessarily, but it’s a different way of doing business. It’s very hard to sell into India because they have trade barriers, very strong tariffs,” the US President had said.
President Trump often talks about MAGA.
In India, we are working towards a Viksit Bharat, which in American context translates into MIGA.
And together, the India-USA have a MEGA partnership for prosperity!@POTUS @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/i7WzVrxKtv
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 14, 2025
According to trade reports, total US goods trade with India was approximately USD 129.2 billion in 2024. US exports to India totaled USD 41.8 billion, resulting in a goods trade deficit of USD 45.7 billion, marking a 5.4 per cent increase (USD 2.4 billion) compared to 2023.
