Team Trump responded to the ongoing tariff dispute between the US and India by expressing optimism that issues will be resolved soon, stating, “two great nations will get this solved.” This reflects confidence in the strength of the US-India relationship despite recent trade tensions.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent emphasized that both countries are capable of navigating their differences in trade, stressing that their democratic values enable problem solving.
President Donald Trump has publicly called the bilateral trade relationship “totally one sided,” criticizing India’s high tariffs and continued purchases of Russian oil, which led to the US imposing tariffs as high as 50% on Indian goods.
The Trump administration is prepared to consider further sanctions, with trade advisers taking a sharper tone and criticizing India’s energy and defense ties with Russia.
Although, India has reportedly offered to cut tariffs to zero, though President Trump remarked that such action was “too late” and should have occurred years ago.
Indian officials have argued that US tariffs are “unfair, unjustified, and unreasonable,” and defend energy imports as vital for the nation’s population.
The dispute intensified during Prime Minister Modi’s participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, but US officials dismissed its impact as “largely performative.”