Trump Highlights 'One-Sided' US-India Trade Relations Amid Tariff Concerns

Trump's Perspective on US-India Relations

New York/Washington: President Donald Trump expressed that the United States maintains a positive relationship with India; however, he characterized it as 'one-sided' due to the high tariffs imposed by New Delhi over the years.

During a press briefing at the White House on Tuesday, Trump responded to inquiries regarding the potential reduction of tariffs on Indian goods, stating, 'No, we get along with India very well.'

He elaborated that the trade dynamics had been skewed for many years, a situation he claims began to shift after he took office.

Trump pointed out that India had been imposing some of the highest tariffs globally, which hindered US businesses from engaging more extensively with the Indian market.

'India was charging us tremendous tariffs, about the highest in the world,' he remarked, noting that this led to limited trade opportunities for the US.

He further explained, 'They were doing business with us because we weren’t charging them, foolishly, we weren’t charging them,' indicating that Indian products flooded the US market.

Trump illustrated his point with the example of Harley Davidson motorcycles, which faced a 200% tariff in India, making it difficult for the company to sell there. 'So what happens? Harley Davidson went to India and built a motorcycle plant, and now they don’t have to pay tariffs, same thing as us.'