US President Donald Trump has announced that his administration will impose reciprocal tariffs on countries like India and China starting April 2, criticising what he called “very unfair” trade practices.
Speaking at a Joint Session of the US Congress on Tuesday night—his first address since beginning his second term—Trump said the US has been subjected to high tariffs by several nations for decades and that it is now time to respond.
“Other countries have used tariffs against us for decades, and now it’s our turn. The European Union, China, Brazil, India, Mexico, and Canada—have you heard of them?—all charge us significantly higher tariffs than we charge them. It’s very unfair,” Trump said.
Highlighting India specifically, Trump pointed out that the country imposes auto tariffs exceeding 100%. He reiterated that no country, including India, would be exempt from the upcoming measures.
In February, Trump had indicated that reciprocal tariffs were imminent, echoing remarks he made during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington last month.
“China’s average tariff on our products is twice as high, and South Korea’s is four times higher. And these are countries we assist militarily and in other ways. This system has never been fair to the United States,” Trump said.
Explaining the policy, Trump noted that starting next month, the US would match the tariffs imposed by other nations. “Whatever they tax us, we will tax them. If they block our markets with non-monetary barriers, we will do the same,” he said, adding that the policy aims to generate trillions of dollars and create jobs.
“We have been ripped off for decades by nearly every country on Earth, and we will not let that happen any longer,” Trump asserted.
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