Trump said India remains a restricted market for U.S. businesses and hinted that unless barriers are dropped, the U.S. may include India in a broader reciprocal tariff strategy targeting multiple countries.
BY PC Bureau
A day after declaring that the United States was on the verge of clinching a “big” trade deal with India, U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday tempered expectations, acknowledging that significant barriers to trade still persist.
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Speaking at a press interaction, Trump said the U.S. was seeking “a full trade barrier dropping” in India but admitted that such an outcome remained uncertain. “India, I think we are going to reach a deal where we have the right to go and do trade. Right now, it’s restricted. You can walk in there—you can’t even think about it,” he remarked.
Trump’s comments come ahead of the looming deadline for his administration’s reciprocal tariff policy, under which countries perceived to be imposing unfair trade barriers against the U.S. could face new duties.
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“We are looking to get a full trade barrier dropping, which is unthinkable and I’m not sure that that is going to happen,” Trump said. “But as of this moment, we agree that going to India and [doing] trade…” he added, trailing off but signaling ongoing negotiations.
The president also referenced the recent trade agreement with China and suggested that similar demands would soon be made to other nations. “We have made a deal with China… We have 200 countries plus. At a certain point over the next week and a half or so—or maybe before—we are going to send out a letter and talk to many other countries. We are going to tell them what they have to pay to do business with the U.S.,” he warned.
Trump’s remarks underscore the high-stakes nature of current U.S.-India trade talks, as both sides attempt to narrow differences on tariffs, market access, and regulatory standards. Negotiators are working under pressure to finalize an agreement before the July deadline to avoid new U.S. duties on Indian goods.
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