'Just shut Instagram down': India should retaliate like with TikTok, says podcaster on Trump tariffs

Ban Instagram. That’s the retaliatory shot one Indian voice fired after Trump’s latest tariff tirade — not against American goods, but against American tech.

“If there was one American Big Tech platform that I'd punish for the Trumpian tariffs it would be Instagram,” wrote podcaster Kushal Mehra on X. “India should spare X for now and just shut Instagram down temporarily like they shut down TikTok.”

The comment follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that trade with India has been a “totally one-sided relationship” and the imposition of 50% tariffs on Indian goods — 25% attributed to a trade imbalance and 25% penalizing India’s continued oil imports from Russia.

While U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent attempted to soften the blow, saying he believed Washington and New Delhi “will get this solved,” he also said India had “not been great actors” in the context of financing Russia’s war effort through oil resales.

Mehra’s call to ban Instagram mirrors India’s 2020 takedown of TikTok during a tense standoff with China — a digital move that had both symbolic and strategic resonance. Instagram, owned by Meta, is among the most widely used platforms in India, with deep cultural and commercial entrenchment.

As tensions deepen over tariffs, oil, and global alignments, the post reflects growing sentiment within Indian discourse: that U.S. platforms enjoy unchallenged access to Indian markets, even as Washington escalates trade aggression and questions India’s strategic choices.