Trump’s tariffs: Would India be better off without a rushed trade deal? | In Focus podcast

U.S. President Donald Trump announced has 25% tariffs on imports from India, “plus a penalty”. While this has been on the cards, there was some expectation that a quick bilateral trade agreement could soften the blow, if not prevent it. Trump has justified his move with a number of complaints: he has spoken of India’s high tariffs, non-tariff barriers, India buying oil and defence hardware from Russia, and India’s membership of BRICS, which he considers as anti-US coalition. Exports to the US constitute 18% of India’s overall exports. If the tariffs kick in, they are expected to lower India’s GDP growth by 20-30 basis points. Are these tariffs just a pressure tactic aimed to extract concessions from India on the trade deal? What are India’s options? Would India be better off without a rushed trade deal? Guest: Jayati Ghosh, Professor of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Host: G. Sampath Produced and edited by Jude Francis Weston