Nothing changes in India-US trade deal: Trump after court ruling
What's the story
United States President Donald Trump has reiterated that there will be no change in the trade deal with India. This comes after the US Supreme Court ruled against his "reciprocal tariffs." The court had found that Trump exceeded his authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). Despite this, Trump insisted, "Nothing changes. They'll be paying tariffs, and we will not be paying tariffs."
Diplomatic relations
Trump praises Modi, takes credit for reducing India-Pakistan tensions
Trump also praised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling him a "great gentleman." He told reporters, "In terms of the US, he was ripping us off. So, we made a deal with India. A fair deal now... We did a little flip." The US president once again took credit for reducing tensions between India and Pakistan by threatening tariffs, claiming that this threat helped bring about peace between the two countries.
Tariff strategy
Trump's 'global tariff' plans and Supreme Court backlash
In light of the court's decision, Trump announced plans to impose a broad 10% "global tariff" using Section 122 of the Trade Act (1974). These tariffs would come into effect in three days and remain in place for up to 150 days. He also slammed some Supreme Court justices, calling them "fools," "lapdogs," and "unpatriotic." Despite these challenges, Trump reiterated, "My relationship with India is fantastic, and we are doing trade with India."
Political response
Opposition leaders in India raise concerns over court's ruling
Meanwhile, opposition leaders in India have raised concerns over the Supreme Court's ruling. Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram asked what would happen to concessions extracted by the US from India under the deal. "The government must explain the impact of the judgement on the 'deal' that was announced on February 6 between the US and India," he said.