Trump Pressures India On Trade, Tariffs & Apple | Big Trumponomics Dose Ahead Of Negotiations

With Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and chief negotiator Rajesh Agrawal heading to the U.S. for high-stakes trade talks on May 16, Donald Trump has fired his latest salvo. Speaking in Doha, the U.S. President claimed that India has offered to drop tariffs on American goods to near zero — a claim New Delhi hasn't confirmed. Trump then took aim at Apple’s India success, saying he advised CEO Tim Cook not to manufacture in India. This, despite Apple’s record ₹1.5 lakh crore iPhone exports from India in FY25 — over 75% of all smartphone exports. His remarks come just as India hinted at retaliatory tariffs in response to U.S. duties on steel and aluminium. Trump had also linked trade pressure to the recent India-Pakistan ceasefire, a claim India firmly denies. As both nations enter the "slog overs" of trade negotiations, Trump’s trademark tactics are back in play.