Trump Boasts of India’s ‘100% Tariff Cut’ Offer, But India Remains Tight-Lipped
Trump Claims India Will Cut All Tariffs for the US
US President Donald Trump made headlines again, this time claiming that India has offered to completely eliminate tariffs on goods imported from the United States. This bold statement came during a Fox News interview on Friday, May 16, 2025, where Trump was discussing his role in easing tensions between India and Pakistan.
The President, who has repeatedly emphasized his contribution to the recent de-escalation between the two South Asian nations, said he used trade as a tool to bridge the gap. He labeled India as one of the world’s highest tariff countries and boasted about his ability to leverage trade deals for peace. “Do you know that they’re willing to cut 100% of their tariffs for the United States?” Trump declared during the interview.
No Official Deal, India Remains Silent
However, there has been no official announcement from the Indian government regarding any such agreement. In fact, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that the topic of India-US trade wasn’t even discussed in the recent phone conversations between the leaders of both countries, which took place following India’s Operation Sindoor, a military operation targeting terror locations in Pakistan and PoK on May 7.
When pressed about the timeline for this potential deal, Trump said, “Yeah, that’ll come soon. I’m in no rush. Look, everybody wants to make a deal with us.” He went on to claim that numerous countries, including South Korea, are eager to negotiate trade deals with the US.
Trade Talks Continue Amidst Trump’s Claims
This is the seventh time in as many days that Trump has repeated his claim of having “helped settle” the tensions between India and Pakistan. It’s important to note that these comments come at a time when India and the US are set to hold ministerial-level meetings in Washington starting on Saturday, May 17, 2025, to evaluate the progress of negotiations for a bilateral trade agreement. Union Minister Piyush Goyal is leading the Indian delegation for these crucial meetings.
