US President Donald Trump said India is willing to eliminate all tariffs on American goods, but he downplayed the urgency of finalising a trade agreement with the country, suggesting any potential deal could take time.In an interview aired Friday with Fox News anchor Bret Baier, Trump cited India as a key example of the kind of barriers he is targeting in his push to boost US exports. “They make it almost impossible to do business,” he said. “Do you know that they’re willing to cut 100% of their tariffs for the United States?”
However, he offered little clarity on when such a deal might materialise. “That’ll come soon. I’m in no rush,” he said. “Everybody wants to make a deal with us,” he added, but noted, “I’m not planning to make deals with everybody.”
The comments come as the Trump administration prepares to set new import duty rates over the next two to three weeks. The White House has been juggling multiple trade talks under its “reciprocal tariffs” framework, but officials have acknowledged limitations in bandwidth to handle simultaneous negotiations—India included.Trump also floated the possibility of expanded trade with Pakistan, India’s regional rival, pointing to earlier US diplomatic efforts to ease tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. “I’m using trade to settle scores and make peace,” he said.
However, he offered little clarity on when such a deal might materialise. “That’ll come soon. I’m in no rush,” he said. “Everybody wants to make a deal with us,” he added, but noted, “I’m not planning to make deals with everybody.”
The comments come as the Trump administration prepares to set new import duty rates over the next two to three weeks. The White House has been juggling multiple trade talks under its “reciprocal tariffs” framework, but officials have acknowledged limitations in bandwidth to handle simultaneous negotiations—India included.Trump also floated the possibility of expanded trade with Pakistan, India’s regional rival, pointing to earlier US diplomatic efforts to ease tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. “I’m using trade to settle scores and make peace,” he said.
In a separate remark, Trump described his recent trade deal with China as a generous move that potentially averted a crisis in the world’s second-largest economy. The agreement saw the U.S. cut tariffs on Chinese goods to 30% from 145%, while Beijing slashed its own rates to 10% from 125%.
“If I didn’t do that deal with China, I think China would have broken apart,” he said.
The White House has not released further details on the reported Indian tariff offer or a timeline for a formal trade agreement.
(With inputs from Bloomberg)
