Hours after announcing that he is doubling tariffs on Indian imports to 50 per cent, Donald Trump said the United States would soon rake in billions of
dollars from countries that had "taken advantage" of it for years. In a post on Truth Social, the US President claimed that money would soon start flowing into the US, unless blocked by what he called a "radical left court" determined to see America fail. Trump posted on Truth Social in all caps, "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!" Also Read: What Are 'Secondary Tariffs'? Trump's New Pressure Tactic To Squeeze India Over Russian Oil | EXPLAINED
India hit hard by Trump's tariffs
Last week, Trump announced a 25 per cent tariff on India, plus a "penalty" for importing oil from Russia. On Wednesday, Trump again announced an additional tariff of 25 per cent on Indian goods, taking the total to 50 per cent duty, one of the highest among America's trading partners. With this, India will attract the highest tariff of 50 per cent along with Brazil.
New Delhi, in response, said that targeting India is "unjustified and unreasonable" and highlighted both the United States and the European Union's (EU) hypocrisy for criticising India while maintaining, and even expanding, their own lucrative trade with Russia.
Also Read: 'Every Indian Would Agree That...': What Shashi Tharoor Thinks India Should Do After Trump's 50% Tariff Move
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his first reaction after the imposition of the new duties, said that India will not compromise and is ready to pay the price for the same. "For us, the interest of our farmers is our top priority. India will never compromise on the interests of farmers, fishermen and dairy farmers. I know we will have to pay a heavy price for it. Today, India is ready for the country's farmers, fishermen and dairy farmers," PM Modi said on Thursday.
