India kills us with tariffs, says Trump

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday ruled out lifting the 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods anytime soon, criticising New Delhi’s trade practices and calling the US-India trade relationship “one-sided” due to India’s high tariffs on American products.

Asked whether he was considering rolling back the tariffs, Trump replied: “No. We get along with India very well, but you have to understand, for many years, it was a one-sided relationship.”

He claimed India imposed some of the highest tariffs in the world. “We weren’t doing much business with India, but they were doing tremendous business with us because we weren’t charging them — foolishly,” Trump said.

Citing Harley-Davidson as an example, Trump noted India’s 200 per cent tariff on imported motorcycles, which forced the US company to set up a plant in India to avoid the duties.

“We weren’t charging them (India). So they would send in massive amounts of goods, pour it into our country. Therefore, it wouldn’t be made here, you know. But we would not send in anything because they were charging us 100 per cent tariffs,” he added.

He said he put secondary sanctions on India for buying Russian oil and indicated that he hasn’t done “phase two yet or phase three”.

The remarks come amid heightened trade tensions. The US tariffs, covering nearly $50 billion worth of Indian exports, have been described by India’s Ministry of External Affairs as “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable”. The ministry defended India’s oil imports as essential for the energy security of its 1.4 billion citizens.

On Monday, Trump dismissed India’s recent offer to lower tariffs to “almost nothing” as “too late”, citing decades of trade imbalances. While his administration argues the tariffs protect US industries, they risk straining ties with India, a key strategic partner against China.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has maintained a personal rapport with Trump, has reiterated India’s commitment to its national interests, recently deepening trade links with Russia and China.

With the sixth round of trade talks postponed, both sides have expressed cautious optimism for a resolution. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described the relationship as “very complicated”, but said the two nations would eventually “come together”. India’s Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal also confirmed that talks are ongoing on a bilateral trade agreement announced in February.