❓WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump announced a 25 percent tariff on India starting August 1, alongside an unspecified penalty for trade and military equipment purchases from Russia.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Trump, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the White House.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The new tariff rate was announced by President Trump in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, July 30, 2025.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Remember, while India is our friend, we have, over the years, done relatively little business with them because their Tariffs are far too high, among the highest in the World, and they have the most strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary Trade Barriers of any Country.” – President Trump
🎯IMPACT: The tariffs could affect U.S.-India trade relations and India’s economic ties with Russia.
President Donald J. Trump announced a 25 percent tariff on India starting August 1, 2025, during a joint press conference with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the East Room of the White House. The tariff comes with an additional “penalty” in response to what Trump described as India’s unfair trade practices and its purchase of military equipment and energy from Russia. Notably, the 25 percent rate is slightly lower than the 26 percent tariff Trump had previously imposed on “Liberation Day.”
Trump explained his decision on Truth Social, stating, “Remember, while India is our friend, we have, over the years, done relatively little business with them because their Tariffs are far too high, among the highest in the World, and they have the most strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary Trade Barriers of any Country.” He continued: “Also, they have always bought a vast majority of their military equipment from Russia, and are Russia’s largest buyer of ENERGY, along with China, at a time when everyone wants Russia to STOP THE KILLING IN UKRAINE — ALL THINGS NOT GOOD! “
“INDIA WILL THEREFORE BE PAYING A TARIFF OF 25%, PLUS A PENALTY FOR THE ABOVE, STARTING ON AUGUST FIRST. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER. MAGA!” Trump concluded.
The news of the tariff on Indian goods comes as the U.S. Department of Commerce announced on Wednesday that the American economy grew at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of three percent. This figure exceeded economists’ forecast of 2.4 percent. Additionally, the Commerce Department published data on Tuesday showing the trade gap in goods narrowed to $86.0 billion, down from $96.4 billion in May—suggesting that President Donald J. Trump’s tariffs are successfully rebalancing the economy in favor of American industry.
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