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US President Donald Trump on Friday reiterated that India charges “massive tariffs” and said that you can’t sell anything in the country. The 78-year-old Republican, whose tariff announcements have sent stock markets into a tailspin, also said that India has agreed to slash its tariffs.
“India charges us massive tariffs. Massive. You can’t even sell anything in India… 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,” he told reporters at the White House.
#WATCH | Washington, DC: US President Donald Trump says, “…India charges us massive tariffs. Massive. You can’t even sell anything in India…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… pic.twitter.com/XwytKPli48
— ANI (@ANI) March 7, 2025
Trump, who took office on January 20, has continuously criticised India for high tariffs imposed by India and other countries.
In his address to the joint session of Congress on Tuesday, he termed the tariffs as “very unfair”.
“Other countries have used tariffs against us for decades, and now it’s our turn to start using them against those other countries,” Trump said in his address, the first of his second term.
“On average, the European Union, China, Brazil, India, Mexico and Canada – have you heard of them? – and countless other nations charge us tremendously higher tariffs than we charge them. It’s very unfair,” he told the US lawmakers.
“India charges us auto tariffs higher than 100 per cent,” he added.
Since taking office, he has unleashed a series of tariffs and threats targeting many countries. He has also promised “reciprocal tariffs” as soon as April 2.
“An eye for an eye, a tariff for a tariff, same exact amount,” he had said during the presidential election campaign.
During a joint press conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the White House last month, he said that India has “been very strong on tariffs”.
“I don’t blame them, necessarily, but it’s a different way of doing business. It’s very hard to sell into India because they have trade barriers, very strong tariffs,” the US President had said.
President Trump often talks about MAGA.
In India, we are working towards a Viksit Bharat, which in American context translates into MIGA.
And together, the India-USA have a MEGA partnership for prosperity!@POTUS @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/i7WzVrxKtv
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 14, 2025
According to reports, the US’ total goods trade with India was an estimated USD 129.2 billion in 2024. US goods exports to India in 2024 were USD 41.8 billion. The US goods trade deficit with India was USD 45.7 billion in 2024, a 5.4 per cent increase (USD 2.4 billion) over 2023.
The atmosphere inside the Cabinet Room of the White house was tense as US President Donald Trump silently watched a volley of attacks exchanged between billionaire advisor Elon Musk and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Mr Musk accused Mr Rubio of not firing enough staff, while the latter laid out elaborate plans of reorganising the State Department, The New York Times reported.
Mr Rubio was already smarting from the Tesla chief closing down the United States Agency for International Development, which was to be controlled by the former. And probably that is why he did not hold back his grievances in a room of 20 Cabinet members. He said Mr Musk was not considering the 1,500 State Department officials who took early retirement in buyouts, adding a sarcastic jab on whether those people were to be hired again so a show of firing them could be made again.
Eventually, Trump stepped in to nip the prolonged argument, commending Mr Rubio for a “good job”, while commending how he juggled travel, television appearances and an agency. What came to the fore during the exchange was an obvious disagreement between two Trump Cabinet members over Musk’s approach, a sentiment that likely extends to other members given the Department of Government Efficiency chief’s rash approach. It was also interesting that a usually T-shirt clad Musk was seen in a suit and tie, as per The New York Times.
Mr Musk’s sharp exchanges also extended to transportation secretary Sean Duffy, with the latter lamenting the DOGE attempting to lay off air traffic controllers at a time plane crashes are being reported in the US. Mr Musk insisted that people hired under diversity, equity and inclusion programs were working in control towers.
Secretary of Veteran Affairs Doug Collins said Mr Musk’s cuts will affect thousands of veterans, a core constituent of the Trump base.
The meeting saw Trump deciding that secretaries would take charge of affairs and the DOGE team would only advise, among the first instances that the President took an initiative to curb Mr Musk’s unfettered ride. In a post on social media after the meeting, Trump said the next phase of his plan to cut the federal work force would be conducted with a “scalpel” rather than a “hatchet”.
This is likely indication that Mr Musk will likely be expected to refine his approach. During the meeting, however, Mr Musk was seen defending himself, reiterating that he many billion-dollar companies spoke volumes about his knowledge regarding hiring good people. Later, he said on X that the meeting was “very productive”.
Trump denied the Times report on Friday when asked about it during a session with reporters in the Oval Office. “No clash, I was there, you’re just a troublemaker,” he told a reporter who asked about the report. “Elon gets along great with Marco and they’re both doing a fantastic job.”
Trump added, “Marco has done unbelievably as Secretary of State. And Elon is a unique guy and has done a fantastic job.”