Trump's New US Tariff Rant: PM Modi Said 'Sir May I See You Please'; He's 'Not Happy'

 

New Delhi: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday defended the aggressive use of tariffs, saying trade penalties are vital for national security and serve as a major revenue generator for the United States while simultaneously addressing long-standing economic imbalances with both allies and adversaries.

President Trump, addressing the House GOP Member Retreat, reiterated his good relationship with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi; however, he stated that PM Modi is "unhappy" over the high tariffs imposed by US on India for purchasing Russian oil.

 

"...India ordered 68 Apaches, and Prime Minister Modi came to see me, sir, may I see you, please? Yes. I have a very good relationship with him. He's not that happy with me because, you know, they are paying a lot of tariffs now. But now they have reduced it very substantially, buying oil from Russia," Trump said.

Trump also mocked French President Emmanuel Macron, saying, "Emmanuel said to me: 'Donald, you have a deal. I would like to increase my prescription drug prices by 200 percent or whatever. Whatever you want, Donald, please don’t tell the population, I beg you.' Every country said the same thing," Trump added.

Recounting conversations with foreign leaders, Trump defended the aggressive use of tariffs, and said, "I am imposing on you a tariff 42 times more expensive than what I am asking for you in return."

Trump singled out China while explaining his approach. "You can either have a 25 percent tariff added on to you, like I did with China on fentanyl. I put a 20 percent penalty tax on China and it's drying up because the tax is far more than fentanyl," he said.

 

The US President noted that tariffs were already generating significant revenue. "We are going to have over $650 billion poured into our country or coming in shortly because of tariffs," he said.

Trump further said tariff enforcement uncovered tens of billions in previously uncollected funds. "We were missing $39 billion, not million, plus $39 billion. We have taken in $650 billion or shortcoming." He framed trade policy as inseparable from defense readiness. "We have national security because of tariffs," Trump said, adding that the issue was headed to the Supreme Court. Trump also tied tariffs to drug pricing negotiations, claiming US pressure forced foreign governments to reconsider prescription drug costs. "France was told that the pill will go from $10 to $30," he said. He said pharmaceutical firms ultimately complied. "The drug companies, I made a deal with them. The nations were a bigger problem than drug companies." Trump argued that previous administrations subsidised the world. "We were subsidising the entire world. That's just one of the many things we were giving," he said.

The US President, however, dismissed skepticism about the policy's effectiveness, saying, "If you have the right President, it's good."

 

It is worth mentioning here that tariffs have been a central pillar of Trump's economic strategy. The policies have, at the same time, drawn legal challenges and debate over executive authority, with courts examining whether tariffs can be justified under national security statutes.