We get along well, but…: Trump calls US-India trade 'one-sided'

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday sharpened his attack on India’s trade policies, accusing New Delhi of imposing some of the steepest tariffs in the world and calling the long-standing economic relationship between the two countries "one-sided."

Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump said, "We get along with India very well, but for many years, it was a one-sided relationship. Only now, since I came along and because of the power that we have with us, India was charging us tremendous tariffs, about the highest in the world, and we therefore weren’t doing much business with India, but they were doing business with us because we weren’t charging them foolishly We weren't charging them."

The US president claimed that India’s trade practices had cost American manufacturers heavily.

"So they would send in massive, you know, everything they made, they'd send it in, it poured into our country. Therefore, it wouldn't be made here, you know, which is a negative. But we would not send in anything because they were charging us 100 percent tariffs," Trump said.

HARLEY-DAVIDSON HIT BY INDIA’S DUTIES

Citing an example, Trump pointed to the struggles of Harley-Davidson, one of America’s most recognised motorcycle brands, in selling its products in India.

"Harley-Davidson couldn't sell into India. There was a 200 percent tariff on a motorcycle. So what happens? Harley-Davidson went to India and built a motorcycle plant. And now they don't have to pay tariffs. Same thing as us," Trump remarked.

The president also claimed that unfair tariff structures were pushing companies to set up production outside the US. However, he argued that his administration’s trade policies, including the imposition of steep reciprocal tariffs, were beginning to reverse the trend.

COMPANIES TURNING TO THE US

"So what we're doing is literally thousands of companies are coming into the US, car companies, AI, but, you know, more traditionally, car companies. We have so many car company factories under construction or being designed right now. And they're coming from China, they're coming from Mexico, I must tell you, and they're coming from Canada. But they're coming into our country because they want to build here," Trump said.

According to him, businesses see advantages in relocating operations to the US. "They want to build here for two reasons. Number one, they'd like to be here. And number two, the tariffs are protecting them. And number three, they want to avoid paying tariffs. When they build their cars here, they don't have any tariffs to pay. You know, when you build here, you don't have any tariffs," he added.

INDIA OFFERED TO CUT TARIFFS TO ZERO

Earlier on Monday, Trump also claimed that New Delhi had belatedly shown a willingness to ease trade barriers "to nothing."

"India has now offered to cut its tariffs to nothing, but it's getting late," he said.

On social media, the president repeated his frustration over India’s choices in trade and defence procurement. He argued that New Delhi continues to rely heavily on Moscow for oil and military hardware. "India sells to us, its biggest client, massive amounts of goods, but we sell them very little -- until now a totally one-sided relationship, and it has been for many decades," Trump wrote.

Trump’s sharp remarks came as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held separate talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping at Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin.

In response to pressure from Washington, Prime Minister Modi reiterated that India would prioritise domestic concerns. He said he could not compromise on the interests of farmers, small industries, and cattle-rearers. "Pressure on us may increase, but we will bear it," Modi said.

The Trump administration has already hit India with steep levies. Washington imposed 25 per cent reciprocal tariffs on Indian exports and added another 25 per cent duty linked to New Delhi’s purchase of Russian oil.

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With inputs from agencies