'India needs fixing': Trump's top aide takes another potshot at New Delhi amid trade talks

US Secretary of State Howard Lutnick made yet another provocative remark against India amid the ongoing trade talks between the two nations. While speaking to News Nation, Lutnick claimed that countries like India and Brazil “need fixing”, warning that if both nations wish to sell to American consumers, they must “play ball with the President.”

Lutnick went on to state that the two nations need to do more to open their markets and take actions that do not harm the US interest. The remarks from Lutnick are coming at a time when US President Donald Trump imposed nearly 50 per cent tariffs on both Indian and Brazilian goods and a separate 100 per cent tariffs on pharma products.

The Trump administration has often complained about New Delhi’s continued purchase of Russian oil amid the war in Ukraine, with some of the President’s top aides claiming that India is helping Russia in the war against Kyiv, an assertion rejected by both New Delhi and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

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“We have a bunch of countries to fix, like Switzerland, Brazil, India - these are countries that need to really react correctly to America. Open their markets, stop taking actions that harm America, and that’s why we’re on opposite sides with them,” Lutnick said in an interview with News Nation.

The provocation doesn’t stop as Trump tariffs hit India’s pharma sector

India was already facing one of the steepest US tariffs, with levies reaching 50 per cent on certain goods. Earlier this week, Trump went on to impose a 100 per cent duty on branded and patented pharmaceutical products, putting Indian companies under major stress. It is pertinent to note that roughly 40 per cent of the revenue for Indian pharmaceutical companies comes from the US market.

Hence, many believe that the pharma tariffs are likely to hit India the hardest. While speaking to News Nation, Lutnick took potshots at both India and Brazil. “These countries (India and Brazil) have to understand that if you want to sell to the US consumers, you’ve got to play ball with the President of the United States,” Lutnick said.

“The way that President Trump does deals, the first deal is always the best deal. And then the next deal is higher, the next deal is higher, the next deal’s higher,” he added. The American trade secretary pointed out that while several trade negotiations remain unresolved, India and Brazil are among the “big ones” on the US agenda.

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“You still have Taiwan. That’s a big one that’s coming pretty soon. I expect to really be talking to them and sorting that out. So a bunch of countries left, but the big ones, India and Brazil, are little…but we’ll sort it out over time,” he said.

Lutnick’s remarks came at a time when India and the US have resumed trade talks. A delegation led by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal visited Washington from September 22 to 24, meeting US Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer and Ambassador-designate to India Sergio Gor to discuss a possible agreement.

“The delegation had constructive meetings with the US Government on various aspects of the deal. Both sides exchanged views on possible contours of the deal, and it was decided to continue the engagement with a view to achieving an early conclusion of a mutually beneficial Trade Agreement,” the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement after the delegation-level meeting.