Trump claims India has offered to reduce tariffs on US goods to zero
US President Donald Trump has once again lashed out at India, describing Washington’s trade relationship with New Delhi as “deeply one-sided” while claiming that India has now offered to slash tariffs on American goods to zero.
In a post on Truth Social on Monday, Trump accused India of exploiting the US market, saying New Delhi sells “massive amounts of goods” to America while buying very little in return. “We do very little business with India, but they do a tremendous amount of business with us. They sell to their biggest ‘client,’ but we sell them very little. They have now offered to cut their Tariffs to nothing, but it’s getting late. They should have done so years ago,” Trump wrote.
The remarks come at a time of growing friction between Washington and New Delhi. Trump has repeatedly criticised India not only for its trade policies but also for its continued purchase of Russian weapons and discounted crude oil despite Western sanctions on Moscow. His comments underline a shift from earlier years when India was often projected as a key partner for the US in countering China’s regional dominance.
So far, Indian officials have not responded to Trump’s latest claims. Analysts note that the former president has a track record of making sweeping assertions about trade concessions, often without substantiating them. Nonetheless, the statement highlights the uncertainty looming over bilateral trade negotiations, particularly as Trump pushes ahead with one of the toughest tariff regimes in recent US history.
Earlier this year, Washington imposed tariffs of up to 50 percent on Indian-origin goods – among the steepest penalties levied under the Trump administration. India has strongly objected to these measures. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal recently stressed that New Delhi “will neither bow down nor ever appear weak” in the face of external economic pressure.
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