'If Indians don’t budge, Trump won’t': Top US official Hassett warns as 50% tariffs kick in 

US adviser Kevin Hassett (Image: Reuters)

Top US economic adviser Kevin Hassett has issued a stern warning that the administration’s tough stance on India will remain unless New Delhi ends its discounted purchases of Russian oil.

"If the Indians don’t budge, I don’t think President Trump will," said top Trump adviser Hassett on Wednesday.

With tariffs on Indian imports now doubled to 50%, Hassett emphasized that Washington will not relent unless India makes key concessions.

While addressing reporters at the White House, National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett criticized India for its "intransigence" in allowing greater access to American products, suggesting that President Trump may escalate his position if New Delhi remains unyielding.

“It’s integrated some with the problems that we’re trying to put extra pressure on Russia,” he noted, expressing concern over India’s reluctance to open its markets to U.S. exports.

In comments to US media, Hassett described trade talks with India as “complicated,” particularly given their intersection with U.S. efforts to intensify pressure on Russia over the Ukraine conflict.

"I think it’s a complicated relationship," Hassett said.

"Part of it has been tied to the pressure we’ve been trying to put on Russia in order to secure a peace deal and save millions of lives. And then there’s the Indian intransigence about opening their markets to our products," he added.

This follows confirmation from US Customs and Border Protection that tariffs on Indian imports to the United States have increased to 50 percent, effective after President Trump’s August 6 Executive Order.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has also spoken about the bilateral ties with India, calling them "complicated", but expressed confidence that the two countries would come together "at the end of the day".

"This is a very complicated relationship. PM Modi and Trump have a very good relationship at that level... I do think India is the world's largest democracy and the US is the world's largest economy. I think at the end of the day we will come together," he said.

“I thought we’d have a deal in May or June,” Bessent said on Fox Business. “India could be one of the earliest deals, but they kind of tapped us along.” He dismissed concerns about India shifting to rupee-based trade: “The rupee is at an all-time low against the U.S. dollar.”