Kills us with tariffs: Trump claims New Delhi offered 'no tariff' deal

Donald Trump doubled tariffs on Indian goods to 50%, which includes an extra 25% levy for Russian oil imports, a move that New Delhi slammed as 'unjustified' and harmful to its energy security

US President Donald Trump has once again asserted that New Delhi had offered him a “no tariff” deal as he defended his decision to impose a 50 per cent levy on Indian goods.

 

In a telephonic interview on The Scott Jennings Radio Show, Trump said he understands tariffs “better than any human being” and criticised India, which he described as the “most tariffed nation” in the world.

 

“China kills us with tariffs, India kills us with tariffs, Brazil kills us with tariffs. I’ve understood tariffs better than they did; I understood tariffs better than any human beings in the world,” Trump said.

 

 

“India was the most highly tariffed nation in the world, and you know what, they've offered me no tariffs in India anymore. No tariffs. If I didn’t have tariffs, they would never make that offer. So you have to have tariffs,” he said.

 

 Trump calls trade ties one-sided 

This is not the first time Trump has referred to a “no tariff deal”. On Monday, he had said, “They have now offered to cut their tariffs to nothing, but it’s getting late”.

 

“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,” Trump had stated.

 

Tariff measures against India 

Trump has doubled tariffs on Indian products to 50 per cent, adding a further 25 per cent punitive levy in retaliation for New Delhi’s imports of Russian oil. The White House said the measure aimed to curb India’s role in sustaining Russia’s oil revenues, which help finance the war in Ukraine.

 

The tariffs are expected to impact exports and jobs in labour-intensive sectors, including shrimp, apparel, leather and footwear, diamonds, gems and jewellery.

 

India defends energy imports 

India has defended its stance, stating that Russian oil imports are vital for its energy security. New Delhi criticised Trump for targeting India while other countries continue purchasing Russian crude.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) strongly condemned Washington’s action, describing the tariffs as “unjustified, unfair, and unreasonable”. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar underlined that although trade talks with Washington are ongoing, India will not compromise on its economic and strategic priorities.

 

Navarro’s accusations against India 

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of aligning with Russia and China following bilateral meetings with the leaders of both countries on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin. Navarro has repeatedly criticised India’s imports of Russian crude, alleging that New Delhi is directly funding Moscow’s war in Ukraine. He claimed India’s continued purchase of discounted Russian oil is helping sustain the Kremlin’s military operations.