Shashi Tharoor On Tariffs: 'Trump Has Picked The Wrong People To Insult' | Interview

Last Updated:August 08, 2025, 18:17 IST

Shashi Tharoor said that the US President’s negotiation style is very idiotic as there are no other world leaders who, say such undiplomatic things as Donald Trump.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor (Image: PTI/File)

Senior Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Friday said that US President Donald Trump’s “double standards" on levying tariffs on India are unpleasant, unfair, uneven, and unjust with New Delhi.

In an exclusive conversation with CNN-News18, the Congress MP said that the US President’s negotiation style is very idiotic as he insults another country. He said that there are no other world leaders who, in a public diplomatic statement, say such undiplomatic things as Trump.

Tharoor also said that Trump has picked the wrong people to insult. He said that India, in a way, has responded to Washington by reportedly halting the arms purchase deal. “India, at this stage, must know where it stands. We should negotiate as a proud country, as we cannot accept a situation where one side decides the terms and the other side is expected to comply.

The Thiruvananthapuram MP further said that there might be a miscalculation on New Delhi’s part while negotiating a trade deal, but it is not the end of the story yet until the negotiation fails on August 27.

I don’t know that our miscalculation or Trump’s negotiating zeal has gone further than his own government. We will find out this very soon.

He said that the negotiation on the trade deal and tariffs is not taking place on Trump’s level as he is not himself sitting on the negotiation table. “He is making these noises and putting pressure on India," Tharoor said.

He also pointed out Trump’s use of “belittling" language at India, saying that New Delhi is allergic to behaving and talking like the way Trump does as “our" self respect matters to us

Tharoor also slammed the US’ double standard on giving a 90-day negotiating window to China on tariffs, while offering nothing to India.

“There are double standards and hypocrisy at every stage. China has a 90-day window, which we don’t have. The EU is getting more window. There is something very unpleasant, unfair, uneven, and unjust that has happened with India," he said.

“The Chinese buy far more oil and gas from Russia, and other items too, than we do. But they’ve been given a 90-day negotiating window, while we have only 21 days. So, from August 27, if our negotiations fail, our goods in the US will be subject to a 50 per cent tariff, while Chinese goods come in at 30 per cent," he said.

The Thiruvananthapuram MP also called out Washington for purchasing uranium from Russia, but accused India of helping Moscow in the Ukraine war by purchasing oil.

“The US is buying fertilisers worth billions of dollars from Russia, then how can Trump claim our money is fuelling the Russian war machine in Ukraine. What logic is this?" he said.

“We have already explained that what we do is in our national interest, as in the case of buying the Russian oil, but we also do it in terms of global realities, which the global market offers," he said, adding. “Buying Russian oil is a necessity for us, much like the US buying the Russian Uranium."

He also warned that India should take Trump “seriously" as after August 27, Indian goods would become costlier than other countries’ in the US and no American will buy Indian goods.

“We don’t have to take Trump literally, but have to take him seriously because after August 27, our goods would be costlier than other countries, and no American will buy our goods," he said.

Tharoor said that India should now look for other trading partners like the UK and, UAE for Indian products.

The Congress MP also responded to the US President’s repeated claims of brokering a ceasefire deal between India and Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, saying that Trump might have pressured the Pakistani PM for the ceasefire.

“Trump could have said this frankly, that he never called us and we never called him. I don’t think PM Modi was wrong in laying out the facts. It’s possible that Trump migh have called Pakistan and pressured them for ceasefire.

Tharoor strongly asserted that the military conflict only ended when India blasted 11 Pakistan air bases, and the next morning, Pakistan called the Indian side and requested to end this.

Pallavi Ghosh

Pallavi Ghosh has covered politics and Parliament for 15 years, and has reported extensively on Congress, UPA-I and UPA-II, and has now included the Finance Ministry and Niti Aayog in her reportage. She has als...Read More

Pallavi Ghosh has covered politics and Parliament for 15 years, and has reported extensively on Congress, UPA-I and UPA-II, and has now included the Finance Ministry and Niti Aayog in her reportage. She has als...

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August 08, 2025, 18:17 IST

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