Everyone's robbing us: Trump targets India over import tariff
Leaving the G7 summit in Quebec, Canada, US President Donald Trump once again targeted economies including India for using his country as a piggy bank, as he criticized the import tariff policies. From Quebec, Trump jetted off to Singapore for a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, but not before he called host Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 'meek' and 'mild'.
In a rare press conference, Trump said the tariffs were hurting US farmers and advised trading partners to come up with more favorable terms. "We're like the piggy bank that everybody's robbing and that ends," added Trump and warned the trading might stop and that would hurt others. Earlier, Trump had criticized India for 100% import tariff on Harley Davidson motorcycles and threatened of consequences.
"I mean, we have India, where some of the tariffs are 100 per cent. A hundred per cent. And we charge nothing. We can't do that. So I say we should have reciprocal taxes for a case like that," said Trump.
After claiming his relationship with the G7 partners was 10, on a scale of 1-10, Trump soon took to Twitter to slam host Trudeau. Trump's aides alleged the joint communique, approved by all leaders of Group Seven allies, was compromised and they got a bad deal. Minutes after it was approved, top US economic advisor Larry Kudlow said Trudeau stabbed them in the back.
Based on Justin’s false statements at his news conference, and the fact that Canada is charging massive Tariffs to our U.S. farmers, workers and companies, I have instructed our U.S. Reps not to endorse the Communique as we look at Tariffs on automobiles flooding the U.S. Market!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 9, 2018
Reportedly, the US delegation didn't want Trump to look weak before his much-anticipated meeting with Kim Jong-un, hence the dramatic exit from G7. While Trump's cheerleaders congratulated him for putting 'America First' at the summit, his critics called it ludicrous. Former State Department official Nick Burns termed it 'embarrassing'. Let's wait to see how the Kim-Trump meeting goes, hopefully sans threats of nuclear attack.
