CHIKUN/KAJURU REP, HON. FIDELIX BAGUDU, ANNOUNCES NEW APPOINTMENTS TO STRENGTHEN INCLUSIVE GOVERNANCE. (PHOTO).
President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that imports from India will be hit with a 25% tariff, marking one of the most aggressive trade measures yet in his second term. The president declared the move in a Truth Social post, accusing India of maintaining tariffs that he called “far too high,” as well as imposing “strenuous and obnoxious” trade barriers. Trump also said that India will face an additional penalty for its continued reliance on Russian energy supplies and military hardware. The announcement comes just two days before a trade negotiation deadline that Trump says will not be postponed, as he prepares to impose a new baseline tariff of up to 20% on dozens of countries. These escalating tariffs follow his April 2 “Liberation Day” pledge to reshape U.S. trade policy, a move that initially sent global markets reeling.
The new tariff on India represents a massive increase from the average 2.4% rate in recent years, affecting nearly $90 billion in goods, including smartphones, chemicals, metals, and agricultural products. India has become a key supplier of iPhones to the U.S. since Apple shifted significant production out of China, with Apple CEO Tim Cook stating earlier this year that most iPhones sold in the U.S. will soon be manufactured in India. Analysts warn that the 25% tariff will drive up costs for American consumers, with the Yale University Budget Lab estimating that tariffs imposed so far will cost households as much as $2,400 in 2025. Trump’s broader tariff policy now places U.S. trade restrictions at levels unseen since the 1930s, with recent deals setting 19% tariffs on imports from Indonesia and the Philippines, 15% on goods from Japan and the European Union, and 20% on products from Vietnam. While Trump argues these policies will level the playing field, economists caution they could disrupt global supply chains and create lasting inflationary pressures.
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