GUWAHATI: A new book has claimed that US President Donald Trump rejected his administration’s own data on Indian tariffs during discussions leading up to his April 2025 “Liberation Day” trade announcement.
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According to Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump, written by New York Times journalists Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, Trump believed India imposed tariffs of 175% or more on American goods. However, officials from the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) presented figures showing much lower rates.
The book states that Trump grew frustrated during meetings with senior advisers, saying he had not received clear information about how much countries such as India and China charged in tariffs on US products. When Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick presented official USTR data, Trump reportedly dismissed the figures and argued that they underestimated India’s tariff rates.
While US officials did not support Trump’s claim of 175% tariffs, Washington has long criticized India for maintaining relatively high duties on certain imports. According to a White House fact sheet, India’s tariffs can average up to 37% on agricultural products and exceed 100% on some automobiles.
The book also notes that Trump’s senior trade adviser, Peter Navarro, referred to India as the “maharaja of tariffs” while defending the administration’s trade policies.
Meanwhile, India and the United States announced a framework for an interim trade agreement in February 2026. Under the proposed deal, the US agreed to reduce certain duties on Indian goods, while India committed to lowering tariffs on a range of American industrial and agricultural products. Negotiations on the final terms of the agreement are still ongoing.
