U.S. President Donald Trump has again defended the hefty 50 percent tariffs imposed on Indian imports. He said the trade between the United States and India had been “totally one-sided” for many years. Despite this, he highlighted that the two countries are “getting along very well”.
Speaking at the White House, the U.S. president responded to questions about whether the America might reconsider these tariffs. He explained that India had charged the United States some of the highest tariffs worldwide for decades, creating an unbalanced trade relationship.
“We get along with India very well. But India, for many years, it was a one-sided relationship… India was charging us tremendous tariffs. They were the highest in the world… And we, therefore, were not doing business with India, but they were doing business with us because we were not charging them foolishly… So they sent in everything they made and poured it into the country… But we would not send in anything, as they were charging us with 100 percent tariffs,” Trump said.
He highlighted the case of American motorcycle manufacturer Harley Davidson, pointing out that the company faced a 200 percent tariff on motorcycles imported to India that made sales difficult. To avoid these tariffs, Harley Davidson set up a plant in India, allowing it to sell motorcycles without extra charges.
The president also highlighted that many manufacturers, especially car companies from countries such as China, Mexico and Canada are now building products inside the United States to avoid tariffs. “Now thousands of companies are coming into the United States… Traditionally, car companies… They are coming from China, Mexico, Canada… They want to build here because, number one, they like to be here, and number two, the tariffs are protecting them. And number three, they want to avoid paying tariffs. When you build their cars here, you do not have any tariffs,” Trump explained.
Earlier, he posted on Truth Social that the business relationship between India and the United States has been a “totally one-sided disaster” for decades. He said India charged the United States “such high tariffs, the most of any country, that our businesses are unable to sell into India”.
He added that India has been the biggest client selling goods to the United States, but American businesses sell very little in return.
Trump also mentioned India’s purchase of most of its oil and military products from Russia, and highlighted that New Delhi had only recently offered to cut tariffs to zero. “They should have done so years ago,” he wrote.
Meanwhile, India faces global economic challenges as the United States maintains the 50 percent tariff on Indian goods. An additional 25 percent tariff was added over India’s continued purchase of Russian crude oil.
