Hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tianjin, US President Donald Trump appeared visibly rattled. The three leaders projected unity on trade and multipolarity, sending a clear message to Washington. Trump, in an unusually subdued post on Truth Social, complained about India’s tariffs and repeated his old line that India-US trade was a “totally one-sided disaster.” Yet this was no trademark trump bluster. It was low-energy and when he claimed India had offered to cut tariffs to zero, the question arose, Is this reality, or another fantasy tale from Trump’s imagination?
The Timing: SCO Unity Vs Trump’s Tantrum
The timing of Trump’s post is crucial. visuals of Modi, Xi, and Putin exchanging warm handshakes and broad smiles dominated headlines from Tianjin. after years of strained ties, India and China are slowly thawing relations, largely catalyzed by Washington’s aggressive tariff regime. Foreign minister wang Yi’s recent trip to Delhi, his first in three years, was a signal of a reset, and Modi’s first China visit in seven years underscored that India was serious about recalibrating trade ties.
Individually, India and China are two of the world’s largest consumer markets. Together, their cooperation, particularly on mutually beneficial trade arrangements, could blunt the impact of Trump’s tariff wall. against this backdrop, trump’s post on truth social sounded less like a warning and more like a defensive lament.
The Myth of India’s “Zero Tariff Offer”
In his post, Trump declared that India had offered to reduce tariffs on us goods to “nothing” but added that it may already be “too late.” Yet the Indian government has made no such offer. Even Union Commerce minister Piyush Goyal has said that India will never bow down before unfair punitive tariffs. Just a few days ago Goyal asserted that while India is open to fair free trade agreements, any form of discrimination affects the self-respect of India’s 1.4 billion citizens will not be accepted.
The truth is, Indo-US trade is not the “disaster” trump portrays. while India does run a goods trade surplus with the US, services trade, royalties, education, and rerouting costs balance the scales. Indian students pay billions in tuition fees annually at American universities. Indian firms pay massive royalties for US software, intellectual property, and technology. Add to this the services provided by Indian IT giants that power corporate America. Suddenly, the so-called “one sided” picture looks very different.
Trump’s narrative that India is looting America is not only misleading, it is a flat-out lie. and his insertion of the “zero tariff” claim only exposes his desperation to show that he has leverage, when in reality, he is cornered.
Tariffs, Russia, and Trump’s Weak Hand
The US currently imposes a 50 per cent tariff on several Indian goods, including an additional 25 per cent “penalty” for India’s purchase of discounted Russian oil and arms. India has defended its decision to continue buying from Moscow, pointing out that European nations, too, continue to purchase Russian energy. the hypocrisy in Washington’s stance is evident, and Delhi has made it clear it will not compromise its energy security or farmers’ interests just to placate an American President’s election optics.
Trump’s complaint that India “sells us massive amounts of goods but we sell them very little” also ignores reality. American exports to India have grown consistently, particularly in defense, aerospace, and technology. US corporations see India as one of their biggest growth markets. The rhetoric of imbalance is less about economics and more about Trump trying to look tough at home, even as allies accuse him of mishandling relationships.
What’s striking is the tone of trump’s post. Gone are the capital letters, the exclamations, the chest-thumping. instead, there is a grudging, low-energy acknowledgement that India may already be slipping from his grip.
Trump Humbled, India Resolute
The visuals from Tianjin of Modi, Xi, and Putin standing together against Washington’s tariff policies appear to have rattled Trump more than he cares to admit. His Truth Social post was not the bombast of a confident President, but the muted frustration of a leader realizing he has overplayed his hand.
India, far from bending, is charting its own course. by strengthening ties with China and Russia while keeping communication lines with Washington open, Modi has ensured India will not be bullied into concessions. as Piyush Goyal emphasized, India’s self-respect and sovereignty are not for sale.
Donald trump may continue to mutter about “one sided disasters,” but the reality is clear India-US trade is far more balanced than he claims, and his tariff war has only pushed Delhi closer to other global powers. The real question is not whether India will cut tariffs it won’t, unless it serves its interests but whether Trump has the political stamina to accept that his bluster has failed. The “art of the deal” president has been outplayed.