Back in January, a global survey found that India was the most upbeat of any nation about what a second Donald Trump presidency would mean for their country. They’re likely having second thoughts now.
Trump just dinged India with a 25% tariff rate — higher than many other Asian nations, though he’s leaving the door open for last-minute haggling. He cited New Delhi’s own trade barriers, but rebuked Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government over lots of other things too — including its BRICS membership, and close ties with Russia. "They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care,” he posted on social media.
Trump is taking punitive tariff threats beyond the realm of trade and into other arenas — ramping up pressure on countries to bend to America’s will, on matters from war to energy supplies. Trump road-tested the hardball tactic in his first term. Now he’s taken it to new levels.
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