 "US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shake hands as they attend a joint press conference at the White House in Washington, DC, US, on February 13, 2025. Reuters")
US President Donald Trump hopes India will lower taxes on American goods before retaliatory taxes kick in on April 2. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said that Countries that fail to reduce their trade barriers will face steeper tariffs aimed at protecting the country’s economy.
Talking to Breitbart News, Potus said, “Believe India is probably going to be lowering those tariffs substantially. But on April 2, we will be charging them the same tariffs they charge us.”
His comments come days after Trump said New Delhi has agreed to lower taxes. “India charges us massive tariffs. Massive. You can’t even sell anything in India… But they have agreed, by the way; they want to cut their tariffs way down now because somebody is finally exposing them for what they’ve done,” he said.
Trump tariffs on India
In a White House press conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month, Trump had described India as a “tariff king” and a “big abuser” while discussing trade barriers, emphasizing the difficulties of selling to the country.
The Trump administration expects the tariff announcements to trigger offers by affected countries to reduce their own tariffs or non-tariff measures, the official said, noting that India, for one, was already trying to get ahead of the US moves.
Trump often singles out India as the country with the highest average tariff rates, among top trading partners, while European Union countries are criticized for their high 10 per cent car tariff rate, which is four times the 2.5 per cent US passenger car rate, but less than the 25 per cent US tariff on pickup trucks.
During a press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt intensified criticism of India, stating that the country levies a 150 per cent tariff on American alcohol and a 100 per cent tariff on agricultural goods.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsShe said, “I have a handy-dandy chart here that shows not just Canada, but the tariffs across the board. If you look at Canada, since you brought it up, American cheese and butter face nearly a 300 per cent tariff. You look at India, where there’s a 150 per cent tariff on American alcohol. Do you think that’s helping Kentucky bourbon get exported to India? I don’t think so. There’s also a 100 per cent tariff on agricultural products from India.”
With inputs from agencies