DETROIT (Diya TV) — Former President Trump said Monday India imposes the largest tariffs on American imports and he would reciprocate if he’s re-elected. The Republican presidential hopeful unveiled his economic plan as part of an effort to address trade imbalances that have disproportionately harmed the United States under current global trade policies.
He noted even though both China and Brazil charge high levels of tariffs on exports from the US, India is in the lead. “India is probably the biggest charger,” he said, observing that while Indian Prime Minister Modi is “a great leader,” the problem of high tariffs coming from India has been around for a long time.
In his address, Trump mentioned how Harley-Davidson executives had called him during his time in office about India’s imposition of a 100% tariff on their motorcycles. Harley-Davidson finally set up its operations in India as a means of avoiding the tariffs, which Trump described as a give-in to unfair trade practices.
Even though Trump said he had a good chemistry with Modi, his attack on India’s trade policies was not the first. He had labeled India as a “big abuser” of the United States’ trade ties earlier in September 2024, saying the country followed unfair practices even as they remained friendly at the highest levels. During his campaign, his constant refrain was for stronger action against countries imposing tariffs on American products.
Reciprocal tariffs would apply equal or greater tariffs to those countries that charge a high rate of duties on U.S. goods, which will look to rebalance the playing field in international trade and make America “extraordinarily wealthy again,” he believes.