Donald Trump's big statement: India ‘kills us with tariffs’; again claims New Delhi offered ‘no tariff’ deal

US President Donald Trump has said that India is the ‘most tariffed nation’ in the world, reiterating his claim that New Delhi has offered a ‘no tariff’ deal. During a telephone conversation on The Scott Jennings Radio Show, Trump expressed his self-proclaimed expertise in understanding tariffs whilst criticising India.

On Monday Trump had claimed that India had offered a ‘no tariff deal’, stating that the bilateral business relationship spanning decades has been "totally one-sided", "one-sided disaster" and additionally mentioned that "they have now offered to cut their tariffs to nothing, but it's getting late".

Trump's justification for 50% tariffs on India

According to Trump, the India-US bilateral trade relationship has been predominantly favourable to India, with significant exports to the United States whilst importing minimally.

"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," Donald Trump said on The Scott Jennings Radio Show, according to an ANI report.

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Trump's decision to impose 50% tariffs on India have sparked criticism within American political circles, particularly after a US appeals court deemed these tariffs unlawful.

On Monday, Trump posted on Truth Social, “What few people understand is that we do very little business with India, but they do a tremendous amount of business with us. In other words, they sell us massive amounts of goods, their biggest “client,” but we sell them very little - Until now a totally one sided relationship, and it has been for many decades. The reason is that India has charged us, until now, such high Tariffs, the most of any country, that our businesses are unable to sell into India. It has been a totally one sided disaster! Also, India buys most of its oil and military products from Russia, very little from the U.S. They have now offered to cut their Tariffs to nothing, but it’s getting late. They should have done so years ago. Just some simple facts for people to ponder!!!”

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Trump faces criticism in US for tariffs on India

Jake Sullivan, who previously served as US National Security Advisor, believes that Trump has damaged Indo-US relations whilst favouring Pakistan due to commercial engagements with Trump's business interests.

Sullivan, in his conversation with MeidasTouch, explained how the United States has fostered relations with India, emphasising alignment in areas of technology, talent, economics and addressing Chinese strategic challenges. He criticised Trump's approach, suggesting that prioritising business ties with Pakistan has jeopardised the Indian relationship. Sullivan warned that other allies like Germany and Japan might question America's reliability as a partner.