Donald Trump’s return to tariff brinkmanship has put India’s exporters on notice. Days before the August 1 deadline, the United States imposed a 25% tariff on Indian goods and signalled an additional penalty that could rise to 100% for countries still trading oil with Russia. For all the talk of “friend” India, the gesture underscores a reality: Washington’s strategic concessions are shaped more by self-interest than sentiment.This is not the first time India has been at the receiving end of Trump’s tough trade stance. In his previous tenure, India lost duty-free access under the Generalized System of Preferences, which had allowed over 3,500 products from low-income countries to enter the US at zero tariff. That removal, like today’s hike, tested the resilience of India’s exporters and revealed that the bigger challenge often lies at home.
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