Donald Trump Announces 25% Tariff on India, Citing Russian Ties

New Delhi:

Beginning on August 1st, President Donald Trump plans to slap a tariff of more than 25 percent on India. The former US president called India a “friend,” but said that because of its high tariffs, the US has done “very little business” with the Asian country.

Mr. Trump also said that India would be penalized for buying a lot of Russian energy and military hardware during the continuing conflict in Ukraine in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social.

“Remember, India is our ally, but due to their extremely high tariffs—the highest in the world—we haven’t done a lot of business with them in recent years. Additionally, they have the most difficult and disagreeable non-monetary trade restrictions of any nation,” Mr. Trump stated in his Truth Social post.

Furthermore, he added, “They have continuously purchased the majority of their military hardware from Russia, and they are Russia’s largest energy consumers, together with China, at a time when everyone is calling on Russia to halt the murders in Ukraine—not everything is OK! As a result, from August 1st, India will be subject to a 25% tariff as well as additional fines for the previously listed reasons. Your thoughtful deliberation on this matter is sincerely valued. The former US president wrote, “MAGA!” today.

His earlier remarks on tariffs pertaining to India are largely consistent with his most recent remarks. Here are few instances:

The objective is to commence domestic iPhone manufacturing within the United States by May 2025.

“I told Apple CEO Tim Cook a long time ago that I want iPhones sold in the US to be made and assembled here, not in India or any other country. Apple will have to pay the US a levy of at least 25% if that doesn’t occur. We sincerely value the meticulous effort you have dedicated to investigating this matter.

As of October 2024, analytical reports had established India’s role as a powerful engine driving the international economy.

“Reciprocity is perhaps the most crucial component of my strategy to restore America’s extraordinary prosperity. We don’t usually impose tariffs, therefore this word is crucial to my proposal. We actually don’t charge anything. When I first started this procedure, it was going great with vans, small vehicles, and so on. An impending 200% tariff levied by China will be applied to our goods. Brazil is a major powerhouse. India is the largest charger. India is a major supplier. Our relationship with India is excellent. Yes, I did. Spearheading this effort is the nation’s leader, Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He’s an excellent leader. A wonderful individual. A truly wonderful individual. It’s all come together because of him. He has performed admirably. In my opinion, they likely charge more than China in several aspects. But they smile as they do it. To a certain extent, they charge better. They formally expressed their profound gratitude for the economic alliance established with the country.

2018 September: “India wants a deal”

They candidly recalled receiving an unexpected communication from representatives in India. For the first time, they claimed, they sought to make a trade agreement. They hadn’t discussed this with earlier governments. This arrangement made them very delighted.

2018 October: “The Tariff King“

He reported that India, a nation he described as the “king of tariffs,” had initiated contact to urgently request the commencement of negotiations.