Topline
President Donald Trump claimed on Thursday that India had offered a deal under which it would charge no tariffs on U.S. goods, in a move that would make India the latest country to seek out a trade deal with the U.S. to avoid steep levies on its exports, as outlined by Trump in his so-called “Liberation Day” announcement.
President Donald Trump gestures during a business roundtable, Thursday in Doha, Qatar.
Key Facts
Speaking at a business event in Qatar, Trump claimed the Indian government has offered the U.S. “a deal where basically they are willing to literally charge us no tariff,” Bloomberg reported.
Trump, who has previously admonished India by calling it the “tariff king,” did not provide any other details about the proposed deal.
The president’s comments come just days after he suggested that he offered trade perks to India and neighboring Pakistan to secure a ceasefire between both sides after the nuclear powers were involved in a four-day-long skirmish—a claim India has rejected.
Indian officials have not commented on Trump’s latest remarks.
Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We’re launching text message alerts so you’ll always know the biggest stories shaping the day’s headlines. Text “Alerts” to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here.
What Did Trump Say About Apple Manufacturing In India?
The Indian manufacturing sector has emerged as a beneficiary of the ongoing trade tensions between India and China. The most significant example of this has been Apple’s efforts to shore up iPhone production in India in a bid to avoid the steep tariffs placed on China that are now paused. Late last month, several outlets reported Apple is planning to make most U.S.-bound iPhones in Indian factories by the end of 2026. Trump addressed this in his speech on Thursday, saying he has spoken with Apple CEO Tim Cook about this. “I said to him, ‘my friend, I treated you very good. You’re coming here with $500 billion, but now I hear you’re building all over India.’ I don’t want you building in India.” The president claimed that after the conversation, Apple agreed to increase production in the U.S. Apple has not commented on Trump’s latest claim, and it is unclear if it means the president wants the company to make iPhones in the U.S., which analysts have warned will significantly raise their prices. Apple shares were down more than 1% in pre market trading early on Monday.
What Do We Know About Trump’s Paused Reciprocal Tariffs On India?
Early last month, Trump unveiled a sweeping plan to impose levies on imports from nearly all countries, which he termed “reciprocal tariffs,” stemming from their trade imbalance with the U.S. Goods from India were hit with a 27% “reciprocal tariff,” which currently remains paused. Unlike several other countries, including neighbor China, India at the time held off on imposing retaliatory tariffs and offered to negotiate a deal instead.
Key Background
Last month, during Vice President JD Vance’s visit to India, the White House said “significant progress” had been made towards a bilateral trade deal between the two countries. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer also issued a statement saying both sides had finalized terms to “lay down a roadmap for the negotiations on reciprocal trade.” Greer’s statement, however, noted that there was a “serious lack of reciprocity in the trade relationship with India,” and the ongoing talks will “help achieve balance and reciprocity.” In an interview with Fox News earlier this month, Vance said he expects India to be among the first countries to lock in a new trade deal with the U.S.
Further Reading
Trump Says India Offered to Remove All Tariffs on US Goods (Bloomberg)
Vance calls for stronger India-US relations as trade talks progress (BBC)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2025/05/15/trump-claims-india-has-offered-a-deal-to-charge-no-tariffs-on-us-goods/