'PM Modi Is A Great Friend, But...': Trump Calls Imposing Tariff On India 'Very, Very Tough'

As he announced the tariffs, President Trump held up a chart that showed the tariffs that countries such as India, China, the UK, and the European Union charge.

President Donald Trump said this is Liberation Day, a long-awaited moment.

Source : White House

Trump Tariff On India: President Donald Trump while imposing "discounted" reciprocal tariffs on countries that charge the United States recalled his recent meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington in February. He called imposing tariffs on India "very, very tough".

"India, very, very tough. Very, very tough. The Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) just left. He's a great friend of mine, but I said, 'You're a friend of mine, but you’re not treating us right. They charge us 52%. You have to understand, we charge them almost nothing for years and years and decades, and it was only seven years ago, when I came in, that we started with China," Trump said at the White House.

As he announced the tariffs, President Trump held up a chart that showed the tariffs that countries such as India, China, the UK, and the European Union charge. The chart also carried the reciprocal tariffs that these countries will now have to pay.

The chart indicated that India charged 52 per cent tariffs "including currency manipulation and trade barriers," and America would now charge India a “discounted reciprocal tariff" of 26 per cent.

Trump said this is Liberation Day, a long-awaited moment. "2 April 2025 will forever be remembered as the day American industry was reborn, the day America’s destiny was reclaimed, and the day that we began to make America wealthy again. We are going to make it wealthy, good, and wealthy,” he added.

The White House said the US is imposing a baseline 10 per cent tariff that would start at 12:01 am local time (9:30 am IST) on April 5, while the higher country-specific tariffs would begin from 12:01 am local time (9:30 am IST) on April 9.