Following President Donald Trump’s decision to double tariffs on Indian imports to 50% on Wednesday, tensions have risen between the two countries. Trump signed an order imposing an additional 25% tariff on goods imported from India for its continued purchase of oil from Russia. Questions arose regarding the 50% tariff on India, to which President Trump responded that further bans were forthcoming.
During a press conference at the White House on Wednesday, President Trump was questioned about India’s reaction to the doubled tariffs. New Delhi expressed disappointment, stating that the U.S. was imposing the additional tariffs on India while several other countries were engaging in similar practices.
When asked why the additional tariffs were specifically on India, President Trump stated, “It’s only been about 8 hours. So we’ll see what happens. You’re going to see a lot more… You’re going to see a lot of secondary bans.”
When specifically asked about China, another significant country trading with Russia, and whether tariffs would be increased on it, Trump responded, “It may happen. I don’t know, I can’t tell you yet. But we did it with India. We are doing it probably with a couple of others, one of them could be China.”
Earlier, Nikki Haley, a leader in Donald Trump’s party, supported India, calling it a strong U.S. ally and requesting that “China not be given a pass.” She stated on social media platform X, “India should not buy oil from Russia. But China, which is a major buyer of Russian and Iranian oil and an adversary, has a 90-day pause on tariffs. China should not be given a pass and shouldn’t damage its relationships with a strong ally like India.”
Amidst speculation, President Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday, adding a 25% tariff on all Indian goods entering the U.S., in addition to the 25% tariff announced last week. During his previous tariff announcement, Trump threatened heavy penalties, citing India’s purchases of energy and military equipment from Russia. The additional 25% tariff will take effect on August 27, significantly harming Indian exporters compared to countries like Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Vietnam, which face tariffs ranging from 19% to 20%.
India strongly condemned President Trump’s new decision, calling it “unfair and imprudent.” Previously, India accused the U.S. and the European Union of unfairly targeting New Delhi regarding trade with Russia.
