CNN anchor slams trade adviser Peter Navarro’s response on India tariffs, questions his ‘good answer’

Trump's Trade Adviser Peter Navarro (Image: X)

CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins roasts White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro during an interview, questioning his self-praised response on why India was singled out for additional tariffs, despite China also importing Russian oil.

Navarro defended himself by asserting, “I think I’ve given a good answer to that.”

"China buys more Russian oil than India does, and they have not been targeted for that. So why is India having its tariffs doubled?" Collins asked Navarro.

“As the boss says, let’s see what happens. Keep in mind that we have over 50 percent tariffs on China already. So we don’t want to get to the point where we actually hurt ourselves. We send a lot of dollars overseas to India to buy their products. India then uses American dollars to buy Russian oil. Russia then uses the American dollars that come from India to finance its armaments to kill Ukrainians," he said.

I asked Peter Navarro why the admin is doubling tariffs on India for buying Russian oil when China buys more than they do but hasn’t been punished for it. pic.twitter.com/SfOys8VtNn

— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) August 7, 2025

"And I think I’ve given a really good answer to that. We’ve got tariffs 50 percent — we already have high tariffs on China. So, I take your point. President certainly will be working with China on that issue," Navarro said.

Collins, known for her tenacious interviewing style as CNN’s senior White House correspondent, pushed Navarro relentlessly, turning what might have been a routine moment into a compelling exchange over America’s trade policy inconsistencies.

Recently, White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro also commented that imposition of an additional 25 per cent duty on India is a “national security issue" associated with New Delhi’s “abject refusal to stop buying Russian oil."

“This was a pure national security issue associated with India’s abject refusal to stop buying Russian oil," he said.

“You start with the fact that India is the ‘maharaja’ of tariffs, it’s the highest tariffs in the world charging on American products and it’s got a high non-tariff barrier so we can’t get our products in," he further added.