US President Donald Trump has reiterated that the US-India interim trade deal remains intact despite the Supreme Court ruling to strike down reciprocal tariffs. As per the agreement previously announced by the American leader via his Truth Social platform, Washington brought down tariffs on Indian goods from 50% to 18%. Meanwhile, New Delhi decided to impose zero tariffs on US goods.
Despite the 6-3 Supreme Court ruling declaring Trump’s tariffs targeting goods from nearly all partner countries a violation of the federal law, the POTUS maintained that India would continue to pay tariffs.
India to still pay tariffs: Trump
The MAGA leader told ANI during a press conference that as per the initial trade agreement struck between India and the US, the South Asian nation will be paying tariffs, while America will be not.
“Nothing changes. They’ll be paying tariffs and we will not be paying tariffs,” he said at the press briefing. Then name-dropping the Indian Prime Minister, Trump went on, “PM Modi is a great man. He was much smarter than the people he was against. In terms of the US, he was ripping us off. So we made a deal with India, it’s a fair deal now. We are not paying tariffs to them, and they are. We did a little flip.”
The US and India had announced a framework for an Interim Agreement and reaffirmed their commitment to a broader Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA). The deal is expected to be signed by the end of March.
India tariffs now dropping from 18% to 10%?
After the US Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling that the Trump admin had gone beyond its legal authority by using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) of 1977 to impose tariffs, Trump revised his tariff policy. Calling it a “terrible decision,” the US president said that he would sign an executive order for a 10% global tariff under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974.
Later, a White House official confirmed the countries that had already struck a trade agreement with the US and were facing tariffs higher than 10% would also be included in this new order. As a result, India’s 18% rate would be brought down to 10% as well for the time being.
“Effective immediately, all the national security tariffs under Section 232 and existing Section 301 tariffs remain in place. Today, I will sign an order to impose a 10% global tariff under Section 122 over and above our normal tariffs already being charged,” he said.
Further commenting on his ties with India and the hefty tariff targeting its purchase of Russian oil, Trump added, “I think my relationship with India is fantastic, and we’re doing trade with India. India pulled out of Russia. India was getting its oil from Russia. And they pulled way back at my request because we want to settle that horrible war where 25,000 people are dying every month.”
Meanwhile, ANI also asked a White House official whether India will have to pay the lower 10% tariffs, replacing previous duties under the IEEPA. The official replied, “Yes, 10% until another authority is invoked.”
Trump defends tariffs
While at the press conference after the SC ruling, Trump doubled down on claims that tariffs had helped him stop multiple wars, including the conflict between India and Pakistan. Reiterating his self-proclaimed ‘peacemaker’ stance, he said, “Tariffs have likewise been used to end five of the eight wars that I’ve settled.”
Despite India having repeatedly rejected claims of a third party’s intervention in its ceasefire agreement with Pakistan after the May 2025 Operation Sindoor (punitive measure against the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack), Trump again maintained, “I settled eight wars, whether you like it or not, including India-Pakistan… Could’ve been nuclear.”
Alluding to Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s remarks at the Peace Board meeting the previous day, he insinuated that he managed to save 35 million lives by stopping the conflict between the South Asian nations.