Trump Warns India of Reciprocal Tariffs for High Duties on US Goods

US President-elect Donald Trump has announced plans to impose reciprocal tariffs on nations, including India, that levy high duties on American goods. Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Trump said that his administration would ensure fairness by mirroring the tariffs imposed on US exports.

“Reciprocal. If they tax us, we tax them the same amount. They tax us. We tax them,” Trump said, as quoted by PTI. He noted that several countries impose high tariffs on American products while the US has not reciprocated, promising to change this under his leadership.

While responding to a question about a potential trade agreement with China, Trump specifically pointed to India and Brazil as examples of countries that impose significant duties on US goods.

“The word reciprocal is important because if somebody charges us—India, we don't have to talk about our own—if India charges us 100%, do we charge them nothing for the same?” Trump remarked during the interaction at Mar-a-Lago.

He highlighted the imbalance in trade policies, citing examples of bicycles being taxed at exorbitant rates by India. “India charges a lot. Brazil charges a lot. If they want to charge us, that’s fine, but we’re going to charge them the same thing,” he added.

Trump’s stance was echoed by Howard Lutnick, his pick for Commerce Secretary, who reiterated that “reciprocity” would be central to the new administration’s trade policies. “How you treat us is how you should expect to be treated,” Lutnick stated.

Meanwhile, the outgoing Biden administration expressed confidence in the continued strength of US-India ties during Trump’s presidency. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell highlighted recent high-level engagements, including the QUAD summit, as key milestones in the relationship.

“We continue to be very ambitious about the US-India relationship. It has strong bipartisan support, and we anticipate this will continue under the Trump administration,” Campbell said during a press conference on Tuesday.

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