Donald Trump has reignited tensions with India, accusing New Delhi of running a “totally one-sided relationship” in trade. In a post on X, the US President claimed that while India sells “massive amounts of goods” to the United States, American businesses face crippling barriers due to India’s high tariffs.
“What few people understand is that we do very little business with India, but they do a tremendous amount of business with us. In other words, they sell us massive amounts of goods, their biggest client, but we sell them very little,” Trump wrote, calling it a “one-sided disaster.”
The remarks came after Washington slapped 50% tariffs on Indian exports, officially over India’s refusal to reduce Russian oil imports. Reports, however, suggest the underlying reason was New Delhi’s unwillingness to hail Trump as a “peacemaker” during the recent conflict with Pakistan.
“Belittling Country Like India…”
Geopolitics expert Einar Tangen slammed Trump’s rhetoric, arguing that India should not be forced into submission.
“President Trump wanted to force India into submission, but New Delhi has an opportunity to stand up to the bully,” Tangen said. “Belittling a country like India, which is of such great importance for the markets and labour, I don’t think it makes sense.”
The fallout comes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Tianjin, a move seen by analysts as a symbolic signal to Washington. A Beijing-based commentator called it a “moment of optics,” underlining that India has alternatives in the face of mounting US trade pressure.
With tariffs shaking the global economy and India at the center of the storm, the standoff is quickly turning into a test of strength — between Trump’s America and a rising New Delhi unwilling to be seen as a junior partner.
