Trump labels India, China 'tremendous tariff-makers' day after call with PM Modi, emphasises 'America first' policy

Trump mentioned that PM Modi is likely to visit the White House in February

US President Donald Trump on January 28 called India, China and Brazil a “tremendous tariff-makers”, which his newly inaugurated government will not allow any further to put “America first”.

Significantly, Trump’s comments come a day after the US President spoke with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a telephonic conversation and reiterated their shared commitment to work for global peace and stability. It’s unclear if the two top leaders discussed the imposition of tariffs on Indian goods.

The US President reiterated his position and said he will introduce tariffs for nations that harm the US, especially for the three BRICS nations, who Trump pointed out are acting in their “best interests”.

“We’re going to put tariffs on outside countries and people that really mean harm to us. Well… they mean us harm, but they basically want to make their country good," said Trump during an event in Florida.

“Look at what others do. China is a tremendous tariff maker, and India and Brazil and so many other countries. So we're not going to let that happen any longer because we're going to put America first,” he added.

Meanwhile, the US President said that PM Modi will do "what is right" on illegal immigrants, underlining that discussions are going on with India.

President Trump made these remarks on Monday while talking to reporters aboard Air Force One on his way back to Joint Base Andrews from Florida. He also mentioned that Prime Minister Modi is likely to visit the White House in February.

Separately, in a readout of a phone call between both leaders, the White House said that Trump had a "productive" phone call with Modi and sought a move towards a "fair" bilateral trading relationship and deeper India-US cooperation.

With PTI inputs