'Somebody finally exposing India': Trump's salvo on 'massive tariffs'
What's the story
US President Donald Trump has accused India of imposing "massive tariffs" on American goods.
Trump's remarks came during a press conference at the White House, where he said, "India charges us massive tariffs. Massive. You can't even sell anything in India. They have agreed, by the way; they want to cut their tariffs way down now because somebody is finally exposing them for what they have done."
Tariff stance
Trump emphasizes unfairness of tariffs in his address to Congress
In his joint address to Congress on Tuesday, Trump called these tariffs "very unfair."
"Other countries have used tariffs against us for decades, and now it's our turn to start using them against those other countries," he said.
The President added that the European Union, China, Brazil, India, Mexico, and Canada impose much higher tariffs than the US.
Tariff strategy
Trump to enforce 'reciprocal tariffs' on April 2
Trump announced plans to impose "reciprocal tariffs" from April 2.
He explained his strategy during his presidential election campaign: "An eye for an eye, a tariff for a tariff, same exact amount."
He reiterated the approach last month during a joint press conference with Indian PM Narendra Modi, where Trump said India has "been very strong on tariffs."
Trade dynamics
Trade relations and tariffs: A closer look
Despite the persistent tariff debate, US-India trade relations are substantial. In 2024, total goods trade between the two was estimated to be $129.2 billion.
The US goods trade deficit with India was $45.7 billion in 2024, a 5.4% increase over 2023.
This data indicates that high tariffs, while possibly challenging, do not hinder bilateral trade activities between the two nations significantly.