Washington, DC [US]: US President Donald Trump criticized India’s high import duties during a speech to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday (local time). He also condemned the tariffs imposed by the European Union, China, Brazil, and Mexico, announcing that the United States would implement reciprocal tariffs on other nations starting April 2, based on how they treat the US.
While addressing Congress, Trump claimed that the US had been taken advantage of for decades by almost every country in the world and pledged to put an end to it. He declared, “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.”
Highlighting specific examples, Trump stated, “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. India charges us auto tariffs higher than 100 percent.”
The President also criticized China and South Korea for their trade practices. “China’s average tariff on our products is twice what we charge them. And South Korea’s average tariff is four times higher. Think of that—four times higher—and we give so much help militarily and in so many other ways to South Korea,” he remarked.
Stressing that the current system was unjust to the United States, Trump said, “This system is not fair to the United States and never was. And so on April 2nd, I wanted to make it April 1st, but I didn’t want to be accused of April Fool’s Day. That’s not—this one day was—cost us a lot of money. But we’re going to do it in April.”
He also emphasized the principle of reciprocity in tariffs, stating, “That’s reciprocal, back and forth. Whatever they tax us, we will tax them. If they do non-monetary tariffs to keep us out of their market, then we will do non-monetary barriers to keep them out of our market.” Trump expressed confidence that these measures would generate “trillions and trillions of dollars” and create unprecedented levels of employment in the US.
Boasting about his administration’s achievements, Trump claimed, “We have accomplished more in 43 days than most administrations in four years or eight years, and we are just getting started.” He spoke optimistically about the future, asserting that the United States was on the verge of an unparalleled comeback. “Our spirit is back, our pride is back, and our confidence is back, and the American Dream is surging bigger and better than ever before,” he declared.
Trump expressed his frustration with Democratic lawmakers, saying, “This is my fifth such speech to Congress. And once again, I look at the Democrats in front of me and I realize there is absolutely nothing I can say to make them happy or to make them stand or smile or applaud.”
He highlighted his actions since taking office, mentioning that he had signed nearly 100 executive orders and undertaken over 400 executive actions. Trump also touched on the southern border situation, criticizing his predecessor Joe Biden, whom he called “the worst President in American history,” for his handling of border security.
In conclusion, Trump defended his trade policies and promised a stronger stance against what he described as decades of unfair trade practices.