U.S. President Donald Trump sits in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 7, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday (March 6, 2025) attacked India’s tariffs regime, saying it is next to impossible to sell anything to India because of the “high tariffs.”
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Trump focused on the tariffs his administration will be putting in effect soon.
However, Mr. Trump also revealed that India has agreed to slash its tariffs significantly, allegedly because “somebody is finally exposing them for what they have done.”
Speaking from the White House, Mr. Trump stated, “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.”
This development comes as the U.S. prepares to introduce reciprocal tariffs on countries that impose high levies on American goods.
The reciprocal tariffs, set to take effect on April 2, will mark a significant shift in the U.S. trade policy. Mr. Trump has emphasised that the U.S. will no longer tolerate being taken advantage of by other nations, particularly those with high-tariff regimes, including India.
Trump’s tariff war | Is India prepared to deal with it?
Speech in Congress
Earlier on Tuesday, Trump targeted India’s import duties in a speech to a joint session of Congress. Trump specifically targeted India’s tariffs on automobile imports, saying, “India charges us auto tariffs higher than 100 per cent.”
While addressing a joint session of the U.S. Congress, Trump said that the reciprocal tax would kick in on April 2. He said that nearly every country on earth has ripped off the U.S. for decades and vowed not to “let that happen any longer.”
Mr. Trump said, “ Under the Trump administration, you will pay a tariff and, in some cases, a rather large one. Other countries have used tariffs against us for decades, and now it’s our turn to start using them against those other countries. On average, the European Union, China, Brazil, India, Mexico, Canada, and countless other nations charge us tremendously higher tariffs than we charge them. It’s very unfair. India charges us auto tariffs higher than 100%.”
The introduction of reciprocal tariffs is expected to have far-reaching implications for global trade. As the U.S. seeks to rebalance its trade relationships, other countries will be forced to reassess their own tariff policies.
Notably, in February, Mr. Trump announced 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico and an additional 10% on goods from China.
Published – March 08, 2025 10:24 am IST
