India’s hefty tariffs on U.S. goods took center stage Tuesday as White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called out global trade imbalances during a briefing sparked by a question on Canada.
“Canada’s been gouging us for decades—think 300% tariffs on American cheese and butter. But it’s not just them,” Leavitt said, unveiling a chart that also targeted India and Japan. “India’s got a 150% tariff on our alcohol—good luck getting Kentucky bourbon on their shelves. And 100% on our farm products. Japan’s even worse—700% on rice.”
Waving a visual aid marked with India’s flag colors, Leavitt tied the critique to Trump’s trade ethos. “The President’s pushing reciprocity. We need someone who’s got American workers’ backs, demanding fair deals. Canada’s been anything but fair for too long,” she said.
Trump’s been hammering India’s tariffs lately, boasting Friday that they’ve promised to “cut way down” after his vocal complaints about their “huge” duties—a claim the White House is touting as progress.