'Nobody Can Argue With Me’: Trump Recalls Tough Tariff Talks With PM Modi

In a joint live interview with US President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk, President Trump reasserted that India would not be an exception to Washington's retaliatory tariffs. Addressing Fox News' Sean Hannity, President Trump reasserted his strong stance on international trade and the existing tariff policies between the US and its global allies.

"I told Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi yesterday - he was here - I said, 'Here's what we're going to do: reciprocal. Whatever you charge, I'm charging,'" President Trump said, recounting his conversation with the PM. "He (PM Modi) goes, 'No, no, I don't like that.' 'No, no, whatever you charge, I'm going to charge.' I'm doing that with every country."

India has some of the highest tariffs in the world on certain US imports, especially in the auto industry, where foreign car imports can be up to 100 percent. To support this fact, Elon Musk, sitting alongside President Trump, confirmed, "It's 100 per cent – auto imports are 100 per cent."

President Trump responded: "Yeah, that's peanuts. So much higher. And others too."

Musk mentioned that these heavy tariffs render it almost impossible for US companies to sell in India unless they have manufacturing plants within the country. He considered this requirement "unfair" to the US economy.

Under his proposed reciprocal tariff system, the US would impose the same level of tariffs on Indian imports as India levies on American goods. "Nobody can argue with me," President Trump insisted. "If I said 25 per cent, they'd say, 'Oh, that's terrible.' I don't say that anymore... because I say, 'Whatever they charge, we'll charge.' And you know what? They stop."

This is not the first time President Trump has been critical of India regarding tariffs. Last term, he often referred to India as the "tariff king" because of the country's high tariffs on American imports.

Yet, after recent Washington visit of Prime Minister Modi, both countries agreed to double two-way trade to $500 billion by 2030 and target finalizing a bilateral trade agreement (BTA) by Autumn 2025.