US President Donald Trump recently called India and Russia “dead economies” shortly after announcing a 25 per cent tariff, along with additional penalties, on Indian goods. He justified the tariffs by pointing to India’s large purchases of arms and energy from Russia and criticized India’s high tariffs on American products. Trump claimed that these factors have limited trade between the US and India.
In response, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor condemned Trump’s remarks and the tariff decision, calling it a serious concern for India’s trade relations. Tharoor warned that with the proposed 25 per cent tariff plus penalties, the total duty could reach 35-45 per cent, which could severely harm Indian exports to the US. He highlighted that America is a major market for India and that such high tariffs would damage ongoing trade negotiations.
Earlier, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had echoed Trump’s “dead economy” comment but used it to criticize the Indian government, saying that everyone except the Prime Minister and Finance Minister acknowledges that the Indian economy is struggling. Meanwhile, Trump’s comments and tariff imposition have stirred a heated debate about the future of US-India trade relations amid growing geopolitical tensions.
