Trump Says India Will Still Pay Tariffs Despite Supreme Court Setback

New York/Washington: US President Donald Trump has said that the recent Supreme Court ruling against his sweeping global tariffs will not affect the trade deal with India, asserting that “nothing changes” and that India will continue to pay tariffs while the United States will not.

In a major blow to Trump’s economic agenda during his second term, the Supreme Court of the United States struck down the tariffs he had imposed on countries around the world. In a 6-3 decision authored by Chief Justice John Roberts, the court ruled that Trump had exceeded his authority and that the tariffs were illegal.

Reacting sharply to the verdict, Trump criticised the justices who ruled against him, calling them “fools and lapdogs.” Speaking at a press conference at the White House shortly after the judgment, he said he was “deeply disappointed” and “ashamed of certain members of the Court” for not doing what he believed was right for the country.

‘Nothing Changes’ in India Deal

When asked whether the interim trade agreement framework recently announced between Washington and New Delhi would be affected by the ruling, Trump said it would remain intact.

“Nothing changes. They’ll be paying tariffs, and we will not be paying tariffs,” he said. “The deal with India is that they pay tariffs. It’s a reversal of what it used to be. We made a fair deal now.”

Trump described his relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as “great” and said the trade agreement marked a shift in favour of the United States. “We did a little flip,” he remarked, claiming that earlier trade terms had disadvantaged America.

Earlier this month, the US and India announced a framework for an Interim Trade Agreement. Under the arrangement, Washington reduced reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods from 25 per cent to 18 per cent. Trump had also signed an Executive Order removing 25 per cent punitive tariffs on India linked to its purchase of Russian oil, citing New Delhi’s commitment to scale back such imports and increase energy purchases from the US.

Claims on India-Pakistan Tensions

During the press conference, Trump repeated his claim that he had helped prevent a war between India and Pakistan through the threat of tariffs. He said he warned both nations that they would face 200 per cent tariffs if fighting continued.

“I also stopped the war between India and Pakistan,” Trump said, adding that tensions could have escalated to a nuclear conflict. He claimed that both sides backed down after his warning.

Trump further stated that India had “pulled way back” from buying Russian oil at his request, as part of broader efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

New 10% Global Import Duty

Within hours of the Supreme Court ruling, Trump signed a new Proclamation introducing a temporary 10 per cent import duty on goods entering the United States. The measure, described as necessary to address international payment imbalances and rebalance trade relationships, will remain in effect for 150 days.

The temporary duty is scheduled to take effect on February 24 at 12:01 a.m.

Despite the court’s decision, Trump maintained that tariffs remain a powerful tool in trade and foreign policy. He argued that such measures have strengthened US national security and even helped resolve global conflicts.

The Supreme Court’s verdict, however, represents a significant constitutional check on presidential authority, reinforcing that only Congress has the power to impose taxes and tariffs.