Addressing reporters on board Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said, “PM Modi’s a very good man. He’s a good guy. He knew I was not happy. It was important to make me happy. They do trade, and we can raise tariffs on them very quickly.”
US President Donald Trump has hinted at imposing fresh tariffs on India over its continued imports of Russian oil, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi “knew he was not happy.”
Addressing reporters on board Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said, “PM Modi’s a very good man. He’s a good guy. He knew I was not happy. It was important to make me happy. They do trade, and we can raise tariffs on them very quickly.”
Last year, Trump ramped up his tariff offensive, imposing a 25 per cent reciprocal tariff on India and another 25 per cent penalty for buying Russian oil, taking total duties in some categories to a staggering 50 per cent. This move led to a sharp deterioration of ties between New Delhi and Washington.
The US President’s latest threat comes only weeks after he had a telephonic conversation with PM Modi, during which the two leaders emphasised the need to maintain momentum in their shared efforts to enhance bilateral trade despite ongoing tariff tensions.
Their conversation took place the same day as negotiators from the two nations kickstarted a fresh round of talks aimed at resolving the tariff impasse.
Just a few days before the call, Trump had threatened fresh tariffs on Indian rice after a farmer representative at a White House roundtable complained of dumping by India, China and Thailand.
“Why is India allowed to do that? They have to pay tariffs. Do they have an exemption on rice?” Trump asked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at the time.
When told a trade deal is in the works, Trump added, “but they [India] shouldn’t be doing that… We will get it settled. Tariffs solve the problem in two minutes.”
