We're negotiating, says Trump after declaring 25% tariff

Hours after announcing that India will pay 25 per cent tariffs along with a penalty, United States President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that talks with India are still going on.Speaking at a press conference at the White House, Trump said that India remains one of the highest tariff-imposing countries in the world, but discussions are underway."Again, India was the highest or just about the highest tariff nation in the world, one of the highest—100 points, 150 points or percentages. So India was one of the highest in the world. They had 175 per cent and higher than that," he added.

#WATCH | On a question by ANI regarding whether he is open to negotiating with India on the tariffs, US President Donald Trump says, "We are talking to them now. We will see what happens. India was the highest or just about the highest-tariff nation in the world...We will see. We… pic.twitter.com/a72Rt3qm8P

— ANI (@ANI) July 30, 2025

Trump also addressed India's association with Brics -- an international bloc that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa -- calling it "anti-United States" and accusing it of undermining the US dollar. "We're negotiating right now, and it's also Brics. They have Brics, which is basically a group of countries that are anti-United States, and India is a member of that, if you can believe it," Trump remarked. “We had a tremendous deficit. As you know Prime Minister Modi is a friend of mine, but they don't do very much business in terms of business with us. They sell a lot to us, but we don't buy from them. You know why? Because the tariff is so high. They have one of the highest tariffs in the world. Now, they are willing to cut it very substantially. But we will see what happens. We are talking to India now. We will see what happens. It doesn't matter too much whether we have a deal or we charge them a certain tariff. But you will know at the end of this week,” he said.

#WATCH | On announcing 25% tariff, plus a penalty on India, US President Donald Trump says, "...Prime Minister Modi is a friend of mine, but they don't do very much business in terms of business with us. They sell a lot to us, but we don't buy from them...Because the tariff is so… pic.twitter.com/Z6hEKnnOQS

— ANI (@ANI) July 30, 2025

Earlier in the day, the US President took to Truth Social to officially announce the tariffs, stating they will come into effect on August 1. He cited India’s ongoing energy partnerships with Russia, particularly at a time when the West continues to push for an end to the conflict in Ukraine.