From calling India 'Tariff King' to accusing Indians of stealing American jobs: Exposing Trump’s falsehoods on India

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly made misleading and unverified statements about India, ranging from trade and energy to foreign policy.

Whether calling India the “Tariff King,” falsely claiming it stopped buying Russian oil, or overstating his role in regional diplomacy, Trump’s rhetoric has faced criticism for misrepresenting India’s policies and undermining its sovereign choices.

A fact-check by Firstpost debunks several of Trump’s most inaccurate claims, exposing a pattern of rhetoric often disconnected from facts, and at times, damaging to India’s global image and sovereign policy decisions.

India stopped buying Russian oil

In a recent remark, Trump claimed, “Well, I understand India no longer is going to be buying oil from Russia. That’s what I heard. I don’t know if that’s right or not, but that’s a good step. We’ll see what happens.”

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This assertion is false. Indian officials have categorically denied any halt in Russian oil imports, reaffirming that purchases are guided by market dynamics and aimed at ensuring energy security for 1.4 billion citizens.

India is the “Tariff King”

President Trump has repeatedly labelled India the “Tariff King” and accused it of being an “abuser” of trade duties, alleging that India unfairly shields its markets through high customs tariffs.

However, trade data tells a different story. India’s simple average tariff — which includes duties on both agricultural and non-agricultural products — stands at around 16%, comparable to countries like Bangladesh (14.1%), Turkey (16.2%), and Argentina (13.4%). Moreover, India’s weighted average tariff, which reflects the actual impact on traded goods, is significantly lower at approximately 4.6%.

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India a dead economy & US does very little biz remark

President Trump has described India as a “dead economy” and claimed the US engages in minimal trade with the country.

However, the truth is that the US is India’s 5 largest trading partner for the fourth consecutive year in 2024-25 with bilateral trade valued at $131.84 billion. India’s exports to the U. alone rose by 11.6%, from $77.52 billion in 2023–24 to $86.51 billion.

Under the joint “Mission 500” initiative, both countries are working toward doubling bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030, highlighting the growing strength of the economic partnership.

Trump brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan

President Trump has repeatedly claimed credit for mediating a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, suggesting his diplomatic intervention, leveraged through trade pressure, averted a potential nuclear conflict.

“We’ve been very successful in settling wars. You have India, (and) Pakistan…. India, by the way, Pakistan would have been a nuclear war within another week the way that was going. That was going very badly, and we did that through trade. I said, we’re not going to talk to you about trade unless you get this thing settled, and they did, and they were both great,
great leaders, and they were great” said Trump.

The reality, however, contradicts this narrative. India has firmly denied any US role in the ceasefire, asserting it was a bilateral decision reached through established military channels, without external mediation.

In the Lok Sabha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “No world leader had asked India to stop Operation Sindoor.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also clarified, “I want to make two things very clear Sir – One, at no stage, in any conversation with the United States, was there any linkage with trade and what was going on. Secondly, there was no talk between the Prime Minister and President Trump from the 22nd of April when President Trump called up to convey his sympathy, and the 17th of June, when he called up the Prime Minister in Canada to explain why he could not meet.”

1000 years dispute remark

President Trump’s recent comments on the Kashmir conflict drew criticism for distorting historical facts.

Speaking about the India-Pakistan dispute, Trump said, “I am very close to India, and I’m very close to Pakistan, and they’ve had that fight for a thousand years in Kashmir. Kashmir has been going on for a thousand years, probably longer than that. That was a bad one (terrorist
attack),

“There have been tensions on that border for 1,500 years. It’s been the same, but I am sure they’ll figure it out one way or the other. I know both leaders.”

However, his remarks are historically inaccurate. The Kashmir issue, as it stands between India and Pakistan, dates back to 1947, following the Partition and the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir’s accession to India.

Kashmir mediation

In 2019, President Trump claimed that PM Modi had requested him to mediate the long-standing Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan.

“I was with PM Modi two weeks ago and we talked about the subject. And he actually said, ‘Would you like to be a mediator, or arbitrator?’ I said ‘Where?’, and he said ‘Kashmir, because this has been going on for many, many years’,” Trump said.

India, however, firmly denied the claim. The Ministry of External Affairs issued a clear rebuttal: “No such request has been made by PM Modi to the US President. It has been India’s consistent position that all outstanding issues with Pakistan are discussed only bilaterally.”

The incident sparked a political uproar in India, with both the government and opposition reaffirming that there was no scope for third-party intervention in the Kashmir issue.

India got a ‘sweeter deal’ under Paris agreement

In 2020, President Trump claimed that India received a “sweeter deal” under the Paris Climate Agreement, suggesting this was a key reason for the US withdrawal from the pact.

The reality, however, contradicts that claim. India was the first G20 nation to meet its targets under the Paris Agreement, and its commitments were widely recognised as both ambitious and responsible within the global climate framework.

Indians taking American jobs

During his 2016 campaign, Trump blamed countries like India for job losses in the US, saying:

“They are taking our jobs. China is taking our jobs. Japan is taking our jobs. India is taking our
jobs. It is not going to happen anymore, folks!” Trump said.

More recently, he has criticised US tech companies for hiring Indian professionals.

However, this narrative overlooks key facts. Indian companies are not just benefiting from the US economy, they’re also actively investing in it and creating jobs.

According to a CII study released in April 2023, 163 Indian companies have invested over $40 billion in the US, generating more than 425,000 direct jobs across various sectors.

In December 2024, US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti emphasised India’s expanding role in the American economy, highlighting its contributions to job creation and innovation.

Indian-origin CEOs and tech leaders now head some of the most influential American companies, playing a crucial role in maintaining US competitiveness on the global stage.

Moreover, India is one of the top sources of international students in the US.

As per US State Department data, Indian students contributed around $7.7 billion to the US economy during the 2019–20 academic year alone, underscoring their value beyond the workforce.

With inputs from agencies