NEW YORK/WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said the United States has a good relationship with India but described it as “one-sided” for many years, citing the high tariffs New Delhi imposed on American goods.
“No, we get along with India very well,” Trump said at the White House on Tuesday, responding to a question about whether he is considering reducing some of the tariffs on Indian products.
He noted that for many years, the US-India relationship was imbalanced, a situation that changed after he took office.
“India was charging us tremendous tariffs, among the highest in the world,” Trump said, adding that as a result, the US wasn’t conducting much business with India.
“But they were doing business with us because, foolishly, we weren’t charging them,” he added. “They were flooding our market with their products, which meant those goods weren’t being made here—a negative for us—while we couldn’t export much because of their 100% tariffs.”
Trump cited Harley-Davidson motorcycles as an example, explaining that the company struggled to sell in India due to a 200% tariff. “So what did Harley-Davidson do? They went to India, built a plant, and now don’t have to pay tariffs—same situation as us,” he said.
