While Donald Trump’s second term as the US President has been nothing short of a rocky ride, for the world if not for him, one thing he never seems to get enough of is the cat and mouse play with India, especially on the tariffs front. Since July 31, when he announced the tariffs on different nations, Trump has been speaking every possible contradictory statement on New Delhi.
A nation he not so long back dubbed a dead economy, the United States President has called a great country! With this, he has once again cited his extremely pleasant relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling him a “good friend”. With this, Trump has given fresh hopes of continuation of India-US trade deal.
India-US trade deal: Are talks moving ahead?
United States President Trump on Tuesday (September 9, 2025) said India and the US “are continuing negotiations to address the Trade Barriers between our two Nations.” Sharing an update on India-US trade talks, Trump posted on Truth Social, “I look forward to speaking with my very good friend, Prime Minister Modi, in the upcoming weeks.”
With this, he added, “I feel certain that there will be no difficulty in coming to a successful conclusion for both of our Great Countries!”
PM Modi echoed a similar tune, suggesting that India and the US are indeed close friends and natural partners. “Our teams are working to conclude these discussions at the earliest. I am also looking forward to speaking with President Trump. We will work together to secure a brighter, more prosperous future for both our people,” he shared.
India and the US are close friends and natural partners. I am confident that our trade negotiations will pave the way for unlocking the limitless potential of the India-US partnership. Our teams are working to conclude these discussions at the earliest. I am also looking forward… pic.twitter.com/3K9hlJxWcl
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 10, 2025
With Trump now looking apparently cool, we take a look at all the major statements he has made for or against India since the 25% tariffs announced on July 31, 2025.
Timeline Of Trump’s Tariffs, Trade Tirade For/Against India
July 31 – “I don’t care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care. We have done very little business with India, their Tariffs are too high, among the highest in the World.”
August 4 – “India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian Oil, they are then, for much of the Oil purchased, selling it on the Open Market for big profits. They don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine. It is therefore extremely unfortunate that the US should choose to impose additional tariffs on India for actions that several other countries are also taking in their own national interest.”
August 7 – “RECIPROCAL TARIFFS TAKE EFFECT AT MIDNIGHT TONIGHT! BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, LARGELY FROM COUNTRIES THAT HAVE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF THE UNITED STATES FOR MANY YEARS, LAUGHING ALL THE WAY, WILL START FLOWING INTO THE USA. THE ONLY THING THAT CAN STOP AMERICA’S GREATNESS WOULD BE A RADICAL LEFT COURT THAT WANTS TO SEE OUR COUNTRY FAIL!”
September 1 – “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 – Until now a totally one sided relationship, and it has been for many decades. The reason is that India has charged us, until now, such high Tariffs, the most of any country, that our businesses are unable to sell into India. It has been a totally one sided disaster! Also, India buys most of its oil and military products from Russia, very little from the U.S. They have now offered to cut their Tariffs to nothing, but it’s getting late. They should have done so years ago.”
September 4 – “Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China. May they have a long and prosperous future together.”
September 5 – “I’ll always be friends with (PM) Modi. He’s a great Prime Minister. I’ll always be friends, but I just don’t like what he is doing at this particular moment. But India and the United States have a very special relationship. There is nothing to worry about. We just have moments on occasion”.