US President Donald Trump has once again targeted India over trade, branding it the “most tariffed nation” in the world and repeating his claim that New Delhi offered to eliminate tariffs altogether a move he insisted would not have come without his tough stance. Trump claimed that India, like China and Brazil, “kills” the US with tariffs.
Speaking on The Scott Jennings Radio Show, Trump said, “China kills us with tariffs, India kills us with tariffs, Brazil kills us with tariffs. I’ve understood tariffs better than they did; I understood tariffs better than any human beings in the world. India was the most highly tariffed nation in the world, and you know what, they’ve offered me no tariffs in India anymore. No tariffs.”
“If I didn’t have tariffs, they would never make that offer. So you have to have tariffs,” Trump claimed.
He said that the tariff gave the United States "tremendous negotiating power."
The Republican leader, who has made tariffs a central plank of both his economic and foreign policy, has repeated the “no tariff” claim on multiple occasions in recent weeks. On social media, he described trade with India as a “totally one-sided disaster”, claiming that India “sell us massive amounts of goods, their biggest 'client', but we sell them very little”.
India-US ties have been marred by tensions after Trump imposed 25% per cent tariffs on the country and then went on to double it taking US duties on Indian goods to 50% over New Delhi's purchase of Russian oil. India has categorically rejected Trump’s demand to halt its Russian crude oil deal, asserting that New Delhi makes decisions based on market dynamics and in the best interests of its people.
India has maintained that trade negotiations are ongoing. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal recently noted that discussions with Washington were continuing to address differences and he expressed hope that a bilateral trade agreement (BTA) between the two nations would be concluded by November. Goyal said that "a little bit" of geopolitical issues overtook the trade matters in the negotiations for the pact between the two countries.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, too, has stressed that India will not compromise on domestic priorities. “For us, the interest of our farmers is our top priority.
India will never compromise on the interests of farmers, fishermen, and dairy farmers,” PM Modi said.
Officials in New Delhi have also pushed back against Trump’s repeated criticism of India’s oil imports from Russia, arguing that purchases are based on market considerations and aimed at securing affordable energy for its people.
Meanwhile, Trump has often cited examples such as Harley-Davidson to highlight what he calls unfair trade practices. The American motorcycle brand faced a 200 per cent duty in India before deciding to set up a plant locally to avoid tariffs. He has argued that such barriers have long discouraged US companies from entering the Indian market.
But Trump’s hardline approach has faced criticism at home. Economists and lawmakers have also warned that such duties could hurt American consumers and manufacturers more than they help balance trade.
Former US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has gone further, accusing Trump of weakening America’s long-term strategic ties with India while pandering to Pakistan for commercial reasons.