Donald Trump is back weighing in on US-India trade as on Monday, the US President claimed India had offered to drop tariffs on American goods all the way to zero, but added that “it’s getting late now” for that to fix what he sees as a one-sided trade relationship.
Trump’s comments come while the two countries are already sparring over tariffs, with Washington recently hitting Indian exports with 50% tariffs.
Here’s what Donald Trump said 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!!!
Trump didn’t stop at tariffs. He also took aim at India’s heavy dependence on Russia for energy and defense, pointing out that the US sells “very little” to India in those areas.
His remarks came on the heels of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent meetings with Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, adding another layer of geopolitical tension.
India-US tariff fight tests strategic partnership
India has hit back at the US tariff hikes, calling them “unfair and unjustified” and making clear it won’t be pushed around.
Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said flatly that “India will neither bow down nor ever appear weak” in the face of Washington’s pressure.
Critics say Trump’s tariff play could end up doing more harm than good, straining trade ties and even the wider partnership between the two countries.
Economists warn India could lose $55–60 billion in exports if the measures stick, a heavy blow for exporters already under pressure.
India has started to show a bit more openness on tariff talks, but it’s also making clear that any cuts have to come as part of a fair, two-way deal.
The problem, as observers note, is that India’s market is layered with rules and barriers, so nothing is going to move fast. Any real change will take detailed, probably drawn-out negotiations.
Trump’s latest shot underlines how deep the trade friction runs, and how much of it ties back to geopolitics.
For the US, India’s heavy reliance on Russia for oil and defense gear is a constant sore point, even more so with the Ukraine war dragging on and sanctions in place.
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