Donald vowed retaliatory tariffs on April 2, in line with his announcement earlier this month.
New Delhi: US President Donald Trump has said he believes India will lower its trade tariffs substantially on American goods but vowed retaliatory tariffs nevertheless on April 2 in line with his announcement earlier this month. “I believe they’re (India)… probably going to be lowering those tariffs substantially, but on April 2, we will be charging them the same tariffs they charge us,” he was quoted by news agencies as telling an American website. He added that he had a “very good relationship” with India but the “only problem I have with India is they’re one of the highest tariff nations in the world”.
The US President had earlier this month said: “You can’t sell anything into India, it is almost restrictive. They have agreed, by the way, they want to cut their tariffs way down now because somebody is finally exposing them for what they have done." Before that, he said: “And the big one will be on April 2, when reciprocal tariffs, so if India or China, or any of the countries that really… India is a very high tariff nation.” The US President had before accused India of levying more than 100 per cent tariffs on American-made automobiles and had also targeted India on tariffs during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington last month.
A cautious India had recently said both nations “are in the process of advancing discussions on a multi-sector bilateral trade agreement” announced last month during Mr Modi’s visit. Asked about it at a weekly media briefing earlier this month, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: “During the PM’s visit to the US in February 2025, both sides announced plans to negotiate a mutually beneficial, multi-sector bilateral trade agreement. Commerce and industries minister (Piyush Goyal) was in the US and met counterparts…. Our objective through the BTA is to strengthen and deepen India-US two-way trade across the goods and services sector, increase market access, reduce tariff and non-tariff barriers, and deepen supply chain integration between the two countries.”
