NEW DELHI: Ahead of his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Donald Trump took to his Truth Social platform to announce plans to introduce reciprocal tariffs. However, he did not provide details about the specifics of the tariff plan or the countries it would target.
As discussions on tariffs are expected to be on the table during his meeting with PM Modi, Trump wrote in his post said, "Three great weeks, perhaps the best ever, but today is the big one: reciprocal tariffs!!! Make America great again!!!"
Trump, after hinting at plans to impose 'reciprocal tariffs' in a cryptic post, has announced a press conference at 11:30 PM (IST) today to discuss his tariff strategy. The announcement comes just hours before his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, scheduled for 2:30 AM (IST) on February 14.
"NEWS CONFERENCE ON RECIPROCAL TARIFFS TODAY, 1:00 P.M., THE OVAL OFFICE. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!" Trump posted on Truth Social.
His post comes amid his plans to implement reciprocal tariffs, a policy that would match US import duties with the tax rates imposed by other countries. The Trump administration has criticised India for imposing high tariffs that restrict US imports.
The move is expected to further disrupt global trade, potentially putting India and other major trading partners on notice. Trump has long criticised what he sees as unfair trade practices, and his administration had previously pressured countries to lower tariffs on American goods.
"It's time to be reciprocal. You’ll be hearing that word a lot. Reciprocal. If they charge us, we charge them," he had earlier said.
He recently indicated that a detailed order on the policy would be issued by Wednesday or Thursday, emphasising that "every country will be reciprocal". Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Washington DC on Thursday (IST) after wrapping up his two-day visit to France, where he co-chaired the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit alongside French President Emmanuel Macron.