Trump's Tariff Dispute with Lutnick Over India Revealed

US President Donald Trump reportedly had a heated verbal exchange with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick over tariffs imposed by India on American goods.

According to the book Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump, written by New York Times journalists Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, Trump believed India's tariffs on US products were far higher than the figures reported by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR).

The book quotes Trump as saying that he had not been given “hard facts” on how much countries such as China and India charged in tariffs and complained that officials were providing him with “bullshit numbers.”

When Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick presented the official USTR data, Trump reportedly rejected the figures, insisting they were inaccurate and accusing his own administration of providing false information.

The authors say Trump was convinced that India’s tariffs were at least 175%, if not higher. However, White House fact sheets indicated that India’s average tariffs on US agricultural products were around 37%, while duties on certain automobiles exceeded 100%.

Tariff Escalation and Trade Tensions

The disagreement came ahead of Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff initiative, under which the United States imposed an additional 25% tariff on India.

Later, citing India’s purchases of Russian crude oil, Trump announced another 25% increase, raising total US tariffs on Indian imports to 50%. The move heightened trade tensions between Washington and New Delhi and affected ongoing negotiations between the two countries.

India–US Trade Framework

On February 2, 2026, India and the United States announced a framework for a bilateral trade agreement aimed at reducing tariffs on both sides.

Under the proposed arrangement, US tariffs on Indian goods are expected to fall to 18%, while India agreed to lower duties on several American products, including agricultural goods, fruits, soybean oil, wine, and spirits.

The White House also stated that President Trump signed an executive order removing the additional 25% tariff after India committed to ending purchases of Russian oil. However, a final implementation timeline for the agreement has not yet been announced.