US President Donald Trump confirmed on Friday that nothing has changed in the trade deal between India and the United States after the American Supreme Court ruled that his trade tariffs are ‘illegal’
US President
Donald Trump confirmed on Friday that nothing has changed in the trade deal between India and the United States after the American Supreme Court ruled that his trade tariffs are “illegal”. The questions around the trade deal with India emerged after the apex court ruled in a 6-3 vote that Trump’s ‘reciprocal tariffs’ were unlawful.
The remarks from Trump came during a press conference in which he slammed the Supreme Court justices who ruled against his tariffs. Trump insisted that he would take alternative routes to impose tariffs. Meanwhile, the court found that the American leader exceeded his authority under the
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), the legal instrument that enabled his ‘reciprocal tariffs’ announced on April 2, 2025.
Trump also described his administration’s relationship with India as “fantastic” and that his relationship with PM Modi is “great”. He also touched upon the claim that India had stopped buying Russian oil at the US’s request. Trump claimed that he “stopped the
India-Pakistan War”, “largely” by threatening each country with 200 per cent tariffs. However, New Delhi has denied such claims in the past, insisting that the ceasefire decision was bilateral.
‘They’ll be paying, we will not’: Trump
When a journalist asked about what happens to the India-US trade deal after the Supreme Court’s ruling, Trump made it clear that nothing changes. “Nothing changes. They’ll be paying tariffs, and we will not be paying tariffs,” Trump said during a press conference shortly after the Court decision was out, when asked about the status of the deal with India.
“This is a reversal for what it used to be, as you know,” he said, praising Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, calling him a “great gentleman”. However, he went on to accuse the Indian Prime Minister of “ripping off”. “So we made a deal with India, and it’s a fair deal now, and we are not paying tariffs to them, and they are paying tariffs. We didn’t flip,” Trump said.
It is pertient to note that the two nations agreed on a deal that reduces the general tariff rate for Indian goods entering the US from 50 per cent (including a 25 per cent ‘penalty’ rate for India’s energy trade with Russia) to 18 per cent.
During the Friday presser, Trump said that he would sign into law on Friday (February 20, 2026), a broad 10 per cent “global tariff” across the board using Section 122 of the US’s Trade Act (1974), which is expected to go into effect in three days. The tariffs in question would be valid for a maximum of 150 days.
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