Washington | Sept 3, 2025 : US President Donald Trump has said that America enjoys strong ties with India but stressed that the trade relationship had long been “one-sided” due to high tariffs imposed by New Delhi.

Speaking at the White House on Tuesday, Trump responded to a question about whether he would consider reducing some of the tariffs imposed on India. He said that while relations are positive, past trade dynamics were skewed against the United States.

“No, we get along with India very well. But for many years, the relationship was one-sided. India was charging us tremendous tariffs, among the highest in the world,” Trump said.

He explained that while Indian companies exported freely to the US, American products faced steep duties. “They’d send their products into our country, but we would not send much into India because they were charging us 100 percent tariffs,” he said.

Trump pointed to the example of Harley-Davidson motorcycles. He noted that with a 200% tariff on imported bikes, the company struggled to enter the Indian market. As a result, Harley-Davidson chose to build a plant in India to bypass the tariff barrier. “Now they don’t have to pay tariffs, same thing as us,” Trump remarked.

The President argued that such policies had hurt US businesses for years while benefiting Indian exporters. He claimed his administration was the first to challenge these imbalances.

Despite the tariff tensions, Trump reiterated that the US and India maintain a strong overall partnership. However, his comments underline the continued friction between the two nations over trade barriers and reciprocal market access.