Trump Warns Of New Tariff Letters As India-US Trade Talks Remain In Limbo
Amid India-US trade deal anticipation, Trump announced a plan to send letters to countries worldwide, outlining reciprocal tariff rates, potentially starting Friday.
As anticipation builds over an interim trade deal between India and the United States, President Donald Trump has signalled a fresh salvo in his aggressive trade policy. Speaking on Thursday, Trump revealed that Washington would begin dispatching letters to nations worldwide, outlining reciprocal tariff rates starting as early as Friday.
“My inclination is to send a letter out and say what tariffs countries are going to pay. We have more than 170 countries. And how many deals can you make?” Trump said, acknowledging the complexity of negotiating numerous bilateral agreements. “You can make good deals, but they’re very much more complicated,” reported The Indian Express.
Instead, the President said he favours a more straightforward approach: “I’d rather just do a simple deal where you can maintain it and control it. You’re going to pay a 20 per cent or 30 per cent tariff, and we’re going to be sending some letters out, starting probably tomorrow, maybe 10 a day, to various countries, saying what they’re going to pay to do business with the US.”
Trump has touted several trade deals during his term, including agreements with Vietnam and China. Late last month, he hinted that the US and India “may” finalise an agreement that would, in his words, “open up India.” However, no announcement has yet materialised, leaving the future of bilateral trade relations uncertain.
Meanwhile, Washington has already imposed steep tariffs on numerous Asian nations: 36 per cent on Thailand, 32 per cent on Indonesia, and 24 per cent on Japan, after negotiations with Tokyo reportedly hit a stumbling block. South Korea has faced reciprocal tariffs of 25 per cent, Malaysia 24 per cent, and the European Union 20 per cent.
Perhaps most notably, Taiwan — a crucial hub for semiconductor manufacturing — has been hit with 32 per cent tariffs, raising questions about potential ripple effects on global tech supply chains.
As Trump’s trade strategy pivots toward unilateral tariff declarations, all eyes remain on whether Washington and New Delhi can bridge their differences and avoid becoming the next targets of higher duties.
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