US President Donald Trump has once again asserted that his aggressive tariff strategy has successfully pressured India into offering a “no tariff” trade deal. In a recent appearance on The Scott Jennings Radio Show, Trump defended his decision to impose a 50% levy on Indian goods, claiming that his approach was necessary to address a long-standing “one-sided disaster” in trade relations.
“China kills us with tariffs, India kills us with tariffs, Brazil kills us with tariffs,” Trump said, adding, “I’ve understood tariffs better than they did; I understood tariffs better than any human beings in the world.”
A “One-Sided” Relationship
Trump reiterated his claim that India, which he described as the “most tariffed nation” in the world, has now offered a major concession. “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,” he stated.
In a similar vein, he took to social media earlier this week to criticize the bilateral trade relationship, arguing that while India is a massive market for US goods, “we do very little business with India, but they do a tremendous amount of business with us.” He also accused India of buying the majority of its oil and military products from Russia rather than the US.
The US has recently imposed two separate 25% tariffs on Indian imports—a “reciprocal” tariff and an additional penalty for New Delhi’s purchase of Russian crude oil—bringing the total duties on Indian goods to 50%. This makes India one of the most heavily tariffed nations by the US.
Domestic Pushback and Undermined Relations
Despite his claims of success, Trump’s tariff policy is facing legal and political challenges at home. A US appeals court recently ruled that many of his tariffs were “illegal,” a decision he plans to challenge.
Meanwhile, former US national security advisor Jake Sullivan has accused Trump of undermining America’s relationship with India, a key strategic ally. Speaking to MeidasTouch, Sullivan suggested that Trump is “throwing away India’s relationship” due to his transactional approach to foreign policy, which could make other allies like Germany and Japan question the reliability of the United States.