Trump commits Hara-kiri by announcing 25% tariff on India
President Donald Trump, right, speaks with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a news conference in the East Room of the White House, Feb. 13, 2025, in Washington
The United States will impose a 25% tariff on goods from India, plus an additional import tax because of India’s purchasing of Russian oil, President Donald Trump said Wednesday. India “is our friend,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform, but its tariffs on U.S. products “are far too high.”
An unshaken India will too impose reciprocal all goods imported from USA and soon Americans will be taught the game of Cricket.
The Republican president added India buys military equipment and oil from Russia, enabling Moscow’s war in Ukraine. As a result, he intends to charge an additional “penalty” starting on Friday as part of the launch of his administration’s revised tariffs on multiple countries.
Trump forgets that when India had taken on that despicable Nixon during 1971 Indo Pak War, the Soviet Union had stood by India. The friendship between India and Russia is as strong even now. Also no country has the power (military or economic ) to dictate to India. We will buy Arms and oil from wherever we want.
India and the U.S. have been engaged in negotiations on concluding a “fair, balanced and mutually beneficial” bilateral trade agreement over the last few months, and New Delhi remains committed to that objective, India’s Trade Ministry said in a statement.
However Trump’s tantrums and monkey moves will not make India hurry. The negotiations will be based on India’s National Interests and mutual benefits keeping equality the basis of all deals.
Trump on Wednesday signed separate orders to tax imports of copper at 50% Trump also signed an order saying that government now had the systems in place to close the tariff loophole on “de minimis” shipments, which had enabled goods priced under $800 to enter America duty-free, largely from China.
Thus like an idiot he has taken on India, China, Russia and Brazil all at once. He forgets that now BRICS is much more stronger than G7. Also Modi will be visiting China soon, were if he joins hands with Beijing economically, then that will be the end of American dreams.
Trump has also announced agreements with South Korea, which had faced 25% tariffs starting Friday, and with Pakistan. The South Korea agreement will impose a 15% tariff for goods from there, while having South Korea buy $100 billion in energy resources from the U.S. and for South Korea to give to the U.S. $350 billion for “investments owned and controlled by the United States, and selected by myself, as president,” Trump said.
The agreement with Pakistan includes the development of its oil reserves. Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent briefed him on trade talks with China.
Trump is welcome to trade with Pakistan and in that case India must explore all avenues to trade with North Korea.
Trump’s view on tariffs
Trump’s announcement comes after a slew of negotiated trade frameworks with the European Union, Japan, the Philippines and Indonesia — all of which he said would open markets for American goods while enabling the U.S. to raise tax rates on imports. The president views tariff revenues as a way to help offset the budget deficit increases tied to his recent income tax cuts and generate more domestic factory jobs.
While Trump has effectively wielded tariffs as a cudgel to reset the terms of trade with many countries, he has hit his head badly against BRICS. The economic impact is uncertain as most economists expect a slowdown in U.S. growth and greater inflationary pressures as some of the costs of the taxes are passed along to domestic businesses and consumers.
There’s also the possibility of more tariffs coming on India a very strong trade partners with Russia as well as on pharmaceutical drugs and computer chips.
Kevin Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Council, said Trump and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer would announce the Russia-related tariff rates on India at a later date.
Well so will India, just rest be assured. Trump Bhai and Hassett ji.
Tariffs face European pushback
Trump’s approach of putting a 15% tariff on America’s long-standing allies in the EU is also generating pushback, possibly causing European partners as well as Canada to seek alternatives to U.S. leadership on the world stage.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday in the aftermath of the trade framework that Europe “does not see itself sufficiently” as a global power, saying in a cabinet meeting that negotiations with the U.S. will continue as the agreement gets formalized.
“To be free, you have to be feared,” Macron said. “We have not been feared enough. There is a greater urgency than ever to accelerate the European agenda for sovereignty and competitiveness.”
Seeking a deeper partnership with India
Washington has long sought to develop a deeper partnership with New Delhi, which is seen as a bulwark against China.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has established a good working relationship with Trump, and the two leaders are likely to further boost cooperation between their countries. When Trump in February met with Modi, the U.S. president said that India would start buying American oil and natural gas.
The new tariffs on India could complicate its goal of doubling bilateral trade by 2030. The two countries have had five rounds of negotiations for a bilateral trade agreement. While U.S. has been seeking greater market access and zero tariff on almost all its exports, India has refused to throw open sectors such as agriculture and dairy, which employ a bulk of the country’s population for livelihood, Indian officials said.
The Census Bureau reported that the U.S. ran a $45.8 billion trade imbalance in goods with India last year, meaning it imported more than it exported.
At a population exceeding 1.4 billion people, India is the world’s largest country and one if the four poles of what is now a multipolar World comprising China, India, Russia and the USA.
India and Russia have very close relations, and New Delhi does not recognize the illegal Western sanctions on Moscow over its conflict with Ukraine.
The new tariffs will place the consumers in the U.S. at a great disadvantage and neither ASEAN, Vietnam, Bangladesh or EU will be able to help them.
