Amid the ongoing trade war between India and the US, President Trump is considering blocking IT outsourcing to India, claimed Trump aide and far-right activist Laura Loomer. "President Trump is now considering blocking US IT companies from outsourcing their work to Indian companies. In other words, you don’t need to press 2 for English anymore. Make Call Centers American Again!" Loomer posted on X.
"I am so excited for President Trump to end the days of pressing 2 for English to speak with someone who doesn’t speak English. Very nice," Loomer wrote in another post.
Laura Loomer is not a part of the Trump administration and is not a policymaker but her influence has been on the rise.
Trump imposed a 50% tariff on India -- as a punitive measure for buying Russian oil. The tariff war strained the India-US strategic partnership, and many Trump aides contributed to it with their anti-India statements.
The H-1B issue, the visa program in which Indian techies work in the US along with other foreign skilled people, has remained a contentious issue since the beginning of the Trump administration. The tariff war brought the focus on the H-1B once again and MAGA activists are calling for stopping Indians from 'stealing' American jobs.
What is 'Press 2 for English' that Laura Loomer referred to?
In many automated customer service menus in the US, callers are prompted with “Press 1 for Spanish, Press 2 for English.” To save cost, US companies outsource customer support from India, where trained agents assist American customers. These agents typically follow strict scripts to ensure consistency and compliance with US business standards. Some companies even train workers to adopt American names and accents to make interactions smoother for US customers.
'Tariffing foreign remote workers'
Recently, Conservative commentator Jack Poso called for tariffing foreign remote workers which got a thumbs up from Trump's trade adviser Peter Navarro. "Countries must pay for the privilege of providing services remotely to the US, the same way as goods. Apply across industries, leveled as necessary per country," Poso wrote.
It is not clear whether Trump is planning to tariff foreign workers or stop US companies from outsourcing their jobs to India, but it is clear that some major policy change that might involve the IT sector is in the offing.
Trump, on a personal front, is warm about Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "I'll always be friends with PM Modi. He's a great Prime Minister. I'll always be friends, but I just don't like what he is doing at this particular moment. But India and the United States have a very special relationship. There is nothing to worry about. We just have moments on occasion," Trump said adding that India-US tie is very special.
PM Modi reciprocated his warmth and said: "Deeply appreciate and fully reciprocate President Trump's sentiments and positive assessment of our ties. India and the US have a very positive and forward-looking Comprehensive and Global Strategic Partnership."
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