Clash Over Tariffs! Trump Says, ‘If India Imposes Tariffs on Us, We’ll Impose Tariffs on Them…’

Donald Trump has repeatedly said that he will impose tariffs on any country equal to what that country imposes on American goods. Upon assuming the U.S. presidency, Trump had announced tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China. However, he had given Mexico and Canada a one-month grace period. Now, that one-month period is about to end.

Trump made this statement at a time when, just a few days ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had returned from a visit to the United States. During his visit, Prime Minister Modi had discussed the tariff issue with Trump.

U.S. President Donald Trump speaking to media said, “We’re going to impose reciprocal tariffs very soon—they charge us, we’ll charge them. Whether it’s a company or a country, like China and India,we want to be fair, so the United States will impose the same tariffs that countries like India and China impose on American goods” .

The U.S. President has stated that he had wanted to impose reciprocal tariffs on India during his first term, but the COVID-19 pandemic had intervened at that time.

India is a major exporter to the U.S. of products such as steel, aluminum, pharmaceuticals, textiles, gems and jewelry, and auto parts. If the U.S. imposes higher tariffs on imports from India, the prices of these products in the American market will rise, which could lead to a decline in their demand.