Washington, Feb 21: In the wake of a major U.S. Supreme Court decision invalidating aspects of his tariff policy, U.S. President Donald Trump has insisted that the India-United States trade deal remains intact and unaffected by the court ruling.The Supreme Court struck down the broad global tariffs the Trump administration had imposed under an emergency powers law, saying the president did not have authority to levy sweeping import duties without explicit approval from Congress. The decision was a significant legal setback for Trump’s signature trade strategy.
Despite the setback, Trump was quick to state that the bilateral trade arrangement with India “stands as it is” and will continue without changes. He clarified that under the current agreement, India will continue to pay tariffs while the United States will not incur reciprocal duties, describing the arrangement as fair. Trump also praised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he negotiated effectively and contributed to what Trump called a balanced deal.
In addition to defending the trade pact, Trump announced a new 10 per cent global tariff on imports from all countries, a move he said would take effect immediately under alternative legal authority. Officials indicated that this tariff — separate from the ones struck down by the Supreme Court — will apply to India until other statutory authority is invoked.
The interim trade understanding between the United States and India, reached after months of negotiations, had previously reduced U.S. tariffs on Indian goods to around 18 per cent, down from significantly higher levels, while India agreed to lower or remove duties on certain American products.
Trump described the Supreme Court verdict as “deeply disappointing,” but stressed that the trade deal with India would proceed unaffected. The interim agreement is expected to be finalised in the coming weeks, with negotiators from both countries set to meet soon to conclude the text of the pact.