'We get along with India very well,' says Trump, but calls trade one-sided

Speaking at the White House on Tuesday (local time), US President Donald Trump again defended 50 per cent tariffs on Indian imports, saying trade ties with India had long been “one-sided,” even as he added that New Delhi and Washington were getting along “very well.”

 

Responding to questions about whether he might reconsider the tariffs, Trump maintained that India had imposed some of the highest duties in the world, leaving US companies unable to compete. “For many years, it was a one-sided relationship. India was charging us tremendous tariffs, they were the highest in the world,” he said.  According to him, Indian goods entered the US market freely, but American exports were blocked by duties that reached as high as 100 per cent. “They sent in everything they made and poured it into the country, while we would not send in anything,” Trump added.

 

 

Trump cites example of Harley Davidson

 

To illustrate his point, the US President referred to the difficulties faced by Harley Davidson. He said that motorcycles shipped from America were once subject to a duty as high as 200 per cent, making them uncompetitive in the Indian market. The company eventually established a plant in India to avoid those tariffs, he noted.

 

Trump claims India’s tariffs among world’s steepest

 

Trump maintained that India imposed duties of up to 100 per cent on various goods, which discouraged US firms from exporting there. In contrast, he said, Indian companies were able to access American markets with ease. “They poured their goods into our country while we sold almost nothing in return,” he remarked, underscoring that this was why Washington had acted by imposing steep import duties. 

 

Trump highlights rising investment in US

 

Trump underscored that thousands of companies, particularly carmakers from China, Mexico, and Canada, are opting to build their products in the US to escape tariffs and take advantage of protective measures.

 

“Thousands of companies are now moving into the United States,” Trump said. “Traditionally, it was carmakers, but today they’re coming from China, Mexico, and Canada. They want to build here, first because they like being here, second because tariffs are protecting them, and third because it helps them avoid paying tariffs. When cars are built in America, there are no tariffs.”

 

Trump calls trade ties with India a ‘disaster’

 

Trump had earlier taken to Truth Social on Monday (local time) to express frustration over what he called a “totally one-sided” trading relationship with India. In his post, he claimed that New Delhi was levying the steepest tariffs of any country, preventing US businesses from selling into the Indian market. He described the situation as a “one-sided disaster,” writing that India had offered to reduce tariffs to zero but that the move was “too late” and should have been done “years ago.”

 

The President also alleged that India sources most of its oil and military hardware from Russia while purchasing very little from the US, a dependence he said worsened trade imbalances and curtailed opportunities for American firms. “India sells us massive amounts of goods, we are their biggest client but we sell them very little. Until now it has been a totally one-sided relationship, for many decades,” he wrote. 

 

India’s response to Trump tariffs

 

India has dismissed Washington’s tariff actions as unjustified and unreasonable. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made it clear that his government would not compromise the interests of farmers, small industries, and livestock rearers in the face of US pressure.