In a statement likely to spark diplomatic scrutiny, US President Donald Trump claimed that India has offered a “zero tariffs” trade deal to the United States.
Speaking in Qatar during his ongoing Middle East tour, Trump said:
“The Indian government has offered us a deal where basically they are willing to literally charge us no tariff,” Bloomberg quoted him as saying.
The Indian government has not yet responded to the claim.
Trump’s comments come during a 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs, a period India is using to attempt a trade resolution with Washington. In April, Trump had imposed a 26% reciprocal tariff on Indian goods, framing it as part of his broader “Liberation Day” economic policy reset.
President Trump also linked trade discussions with New Delhi to the recent ceasefire between India and Pakistan following Operation Sindoor — India’s military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
“We helped a lot, including with trade… I said, ‘Come on, we’re going to do a lot of trade with you guys, let’s stop it,’” Trump said, suggesting US trade diplomacy helped avert a “bad nuclear war”.
However, Indian officials have flatly denied this assertion. According to sources cited by Hindustan Times, trade was not discussed at all during the conversations between Indian and US leadership during the conflict.
No mention of trade was made:
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During the May 9 call between US Vice President JD Vance and PM Narendra Modi
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In discussions between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and EAM S. Jaishankar (May 8)
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Or during Rubio’s talk with NSA Ajit Doval (May 10)
In another provocative comment, Trump said he discouraged Apple CEO Tim Cook from expanding operations in India:
“I said I don’t want you building in India,” Trump remarked, adding that Apple would now be “upping their production in the United States.”
This comes amid ongoing US efforts to reshore tech manufacturing and reduce dependence on foreign supply chains, especially in the Indo-Pacific.
