US President Donald Trump announced plans to impose reciprocal tariffs on countries like India and China, stating the US will charge the same tariffs these nations impose on American goods. He referred to India’s high tariffs, calling the country a challenging environment for business. Trump cited Harley-Davidson as an example of an American company forced to establish manufacturing in India due to excessive import duties. He expressed that the US has not previously implemented such reciprocal measures but aims to achieve fairness in trade. Trump’s comments came before a bilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Washington DC:
On Friday, US President Donald Trump declared that he would soon implement reciprocal tariffs on nations such as India and China, stating that the United States will impose the same tariffs that these countries apply to American products.
Trump remarked, “We will soon impose reciprocal tariffs — they charge us, we charge them. Whatever a country, or company, like India or China, charges, we aim to be equitable; hence, reciprocal.”
He further added, “We have never done this. We were preparing to do it until Covid interfered.”
#WATCH | Washington | US President Donald Trump states, “… We will soon impose reciprocal tariffs—they charge us, we charge them. Whatever a company or a country, like India or China, charges, we aim for fairness; thus, reciprocal. We have never done this. We were getting… pic.twitter.com/8Q2XBETfxe
— ANI (@ANI) February 21, 2025
Prior to his bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week, Trump had expressed concerns regarding India’s tariff structure, remarking that “they have the highest tariffs” and “it is challenging to operate a business there”.
These comments came during a press conference when he was inquired about the meeting between Tesla CEO Elon Musk and PM Modi.
“They met. I presume he wishes to conduct business in India. However, India poses significant challenges for business due to the tariffs. They have the highest tariffs… It is a challenging place for business. I would assume he met possibly because he operates a company, and this has been a concern of his for quite some time,” Trump stated.
Addressing the subject of reciprocal tariffs, Trump referenced India’s historical trade practices, citing the case of Harley-Davidson motorcycles as a scenario where American firms had to establish manufacturing facilities overseas to avoid steep import duties.
“Traditionally, India ranks right at the peak in this regard. There are a few smaller countries that exceed them, but India imposes considerable tariffs. I recall when Harley Davidson was unable to sell their motorcycles in India due to the exceedingly high tax and tariffs, forcing them to set up manufacturing elsewhere,” he stated, according to US Network Pool via Reuters.
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