‘One-sided relationship’: Donald Trump doubles down on 50% India tariffs; cites trade imbalance

US President Donald Trump has doubled down on his defence of tariffs, insisting they are vital to protect American industry and warning that the country could become a “third world” nation without them.

Asked whether he was considering lifting tariffs on India, Trump replied: “We get along with India very well. But India has, you have to understand, for many years it was a one-sided relationship.”He said New Delhi had imposed “tremendous tariffs, about the highest in the world” on US goods, while American markets were open to Indian products. “They would send in massive, you know, everything they made, they’d send it in, pour it into our country.

Therefore it wouldn’t be made here, which is a negative. But we would not send in anything because they were charging us 100% tariffs,” he said, citing Harley Davidson as an example.Trump argued tariffs had forced India to the table, saying the policy had corrected an imbalance that left Washington at a disadvantage. “If you take away the tariffs we could end up being a third world country,” he said.His remarks come against the backdrop of strained trade relations between India and the US, with ongoing negotiations stalled after Washington imposed a 50 per cent duty on Indian goods.