US President Donald Trump called his tariffs the ultimate “war settler” and a powerful tool that handed Washington “great negotiation ability,” boasting that his tariff-driven strategy helped him “settle seven wars” — even as he justified slapping India with record-high import duties.
Speaking during a press briefing to announce the relocation of US Space Command to Huntsville, Alabama, Trump touted tariffs as a multipurpose weapon that fuels economic dominance and shapes global diplomacy. “Tariff gets us even those other things. Plus, it makes us great negotiators,” he said.
Trump claimed that under his leadership, the US had become “so powerful” that “without the United States, everything in the world would die.” He blamed the Biden administration for briefly “degenerating” that power, but credited tariffs for restoring it to unprecedented levels.
“I settled seven wars and numerous of those wars were because of trade,” he said. “And numerous of the trade deals that I made were because of tariffs.”
India featured prominently in Trump’s remarks as he defended the 50% tariffs imposed on Indian imports — a figure that climbed to 75% following India’s continued purchase of Russian oil. He accused New Delhi of exploiting a “one-sided” trade relationship.
“We get along with India very well. But for many years, it was a one-sided relationship,” Trump said. “India was charging us tremendous tariffs… and we weren’t charging them, foolishly.”
He singled out Harley Davidson as a victim of India’s steep import duties. “There was a 200 per cent tariff on a motorcycle,” Trump claimed, explaining that the company resorted to opening a local plant in India to dodge the fee.