The comment, made during Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s interview with Fox News presenter Sean Hannity, comes days after the Tesla CEO met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the latter’s visit to the US.

Trump reiterated his claims about India’s high tariffs, a point that was reinforced by Elon Musk, Tesla’s owner and the head of Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The interview was recorded earlier but broadcast on Tuesday night eastern time (Wednesday morning IST).

Reiterating his claim that “every country” took advantage of the US with tariffs, Trump began by citing the example of tariffs on cars in India.

Also Read: Tesla in India soon: Here’s where EV maker might set up its first showrooms

Turning to Musk, he said, “It’s impossible for him to sell a car, practically, in, as an example, India. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but I think…” Musk then immediately intervened to complete Trump’s sentence and said, “The tariffs are like 100% import duty.”

The import duty on EVs that cost at least $35,000 is 15% in India, subject to conditions.

Trump added that if Musk wanted to build a factory in India, that was “okay” but also “unfair” to the US. “That’s unfair to us. It’s very unfair,” he said.

Trump added, “I told Prime Minister Modi… Here’s what you do. We are going to… be very fair with you.”

Before Trump completed his thought, the interviewer asked him if the tariffs India charged were 36%. Trump said, “Much much higher.” Musk added that his bit, “It’s 100% on auto imports..100%.”

Also Read: ‘Nobody can argue with me’: Trump recalls talks with PM Modi on US tariffs

Elon Musk has also agreed with Trump and said “It needs to be at a level playing field and fair and square.”

Trump then claimed that they would now “make a lot of money” and “a lot of businesses” would come pouring in.

Elon Musk’s Tesla has already identified locations for showrooms in New Delhi and Mumbai and has opened up 13 mid-level posts in India, reported news agency Reuters.

The company has not had much of a presence in India due to high tariffs however, India has now reduced the basic customs duty on high-end cars priced above $40,000 from 110% to 70%.

(with inputs from Prashant Jha in Washington )

New Delhi: US President Trump has said that if Tesla were to build a factory in India to circumvent that country’s tariffs, it would be “unfair” to the US, in an interview with Fox News which aired on Tuesday. Trump called out India’s high duty on cars during PM Narendra Modi’s visit to the US last week, but agreed to work towards an early trade deal and resolve their standoff over tariffs.

Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk has long criticised India for having import tariffs of around 100% on EVs which protect local automakers such as Tata Motors in the world’s third largest auto market, where EV adoption is still at a nascent stage.

Trump said it is “impossible” for Musk to sell a car in the South Asian nation. “Every country in the world takes advantage of us, and they do it with tariffs… It is impossible to sell a car, practically, in, as an example, India,” he said.

The government in March unveiled a new EV policy lowering import taxes substantially to 15% if a carmaker invests at least $500 million and sets up a factory.

Reuters reported on Tuesday that Tesla has selected locations for two showrooms in the Indian cities of New Delhi and Mumbai, and posted job ads for 13 mid-level roles in India. It does not currently manufacture any vehicles in India.

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Trump reiterated his claims about India’s high tariffs, a point that was reinforced by Elon Musk, Tesla’s owner and the head of Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), in a joint interview the two most powerful men in America gave to Fox News. The interview was recorded earlier but broadcast on Tuesday night eastern time (Wednesday morning IST).

Reiterating his claim that “every country” took advantage of the US with tariffs, Trump began by citing the example of tariffs on cars in India. Turning to Musk, he said, “It’s impossible for him to sell a car, practically, in, as an example, India. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but I think…” Musk then immediately intervened to complete Trump’s sentence and said, “The tariffs are like 100% import duty.” The import duty on EVs that cost at least $35,000 is 15% in India, subject to conditions.

Trump added that if Musk wanted to build a factory in India, that was “okay” but also “unfair” to the US. “That’s unfair to us. It’s very unfair.”

Using that as the peg, Trump said, “I told Prime Minister Modi… Here’s what you do. We are going to… be very fair with you.” Before Trump completed his thought, the interviewer asked him if the tariffs India charged were 36%. Trump said, “Much much higher.” Musk again added his bit, “It’s 100% on auto imports..100%.”

Trump then picked the thread of his response again and recounted his conversation with Modi, “I said, ‘Here is what we are going to do: reciprocal. Whatever you charge, I am charging’.” Trump claimed Modi then said, “No, no, I don’t like that,” to which Trump claimed he responded to Modi by saying, “No, no, whatever you charge, I am going to charge. I am doing that with every country.” Musk again added, “It seems fair.”

Trump laughed and said it was indeed fair and that no one could argue with him on it. He claimed that the media could not say to him anymore that he charged tariffs and it was “terrible”. “I don’t say that anymore because I say, ‘Whatever they charge, we will charge’.”

Musk again intervened to support Trump’s point and said, “It needs to be at a level playing field and fair and square.” Trump then claimed that they would now “make a lot of money” and “a lot of businesses” would come pouring in.

The ministry of external affairs did not respond to Trump’s comments about the negotiations with Modi.

In the interview, neither did Musk offer more details on auto import duties nor did Trump give more details on what he meant by Musk possibly setting up a factory in India. But the wider context is that India has had high tariffs on electric vehicles. In a new EV policy introduced right before the elections in 2024, India reduced import duties on EVs, provided that the EV manufacturer set up a factory within a certain time frame in India. This policy was widely assumed to be aimed at wooing Tesla, but Musk decided at the time to deepen his business engagements in China rather than expand operations to India. Separately, in the past, Trump has also complained how Harley Davidson was forced to set up a plant in India to avoid high duties.

To be sure, the US car maker on Tuesday posted 13 job openings in suburban Mumbai on its official webpage for both customer-facing and backend roles, days after Modi met Musk.

The comments by both Trump and Musk appeared to be targeted at two separate but interlinked features of India’s economic policy: high tariffs for foreign goods, and incentives to foreign manufacturers to set up domestic operations in India. In Trump’s world view, both are a part of a zero sum game that hurt America, either by taxing its products too high and reducing their competitiveness, or taking away US manufacturers who would otherwise set up plants in the US and thus taking away American jobs. Trump’s comments opposing US companies setting up factories in India is a sign that the past policy of friendshoring, where the US actively encouraged companies to invest in partner countries including India, is now in jeopardy.

Last Thursday, just hours before meeting Modi, Trump signed a memorandum that was based on the premise that while the US was open to other countries, others imposed unfairly high barriers on American products and the “lack of reciprocity” was responsible for America’s large trade deficits.

Trump then announced a “Fair and Reciprocal plan” whereby the US would counter non-reciprocal trading arrangements by “determining the equivalent of a reciprocal tariff with respect to each foreign trading partner”. This would be based on studying the partner’s tariff rates charged on US products, “unfair, discriminatory or extraterritorial taxes” imposed on US businesses, non tariff barriers and “burdensome regulatory requirements”, and exchange rate and mercantilist policies that made US products less competitive. A wide range of Indian policies and actions may fall within the ambit of this definition, leading to high tariffs on Indian imports.

Trump raised the issue multiple times, both in private and public, during Modi’s visit. Both sides agreed to designate senior officials to conclude the first tranche of a bilateral trade agreement (BTA) by the fall of this year.

Commenting on Trump and Musk’s comments as well as the prospects of a BTA, Alexander Slater, managing director with Capstone, a policy forecasting and strategic advisory group in DC and a former India-based managing director of the US-India Business Council, said that Trump’s tariff threats were serious and he anticipated that Trump will either move ahead with broad tariffs on non-China trading partners either in the form of reciprocal tariffs that he recently announced or universal tariffs he announced during the campaign or a combination of the two.

Slater said, “The best approach for any country seeking an exclusion is to find ways to reduce its goods trade deficit with the United States. The Trump Administration sees these deficits as proxies for unfair trade practices. That’s clear in the President’s comment yesterday on reciprocal tariffs — the motivation is to eliminate these imbalances. The key is for countries to figure out how to address these concerns in ways that complement their own needs.” He added that for India, this would appear to be “stepping up energy purchases” and “security-related purchases” that better position India to secure its borders with China.

NEW DELHI: Rekha Gupta, a first-time MLA and long-time RSS associate, is set to become the fourth woman chief minister of Delhi, marking the BJP’s return to power in the capital after 27 years. Gupta, 50, was chosen as the Leader of the House in the Delhi Assembly at the BJP legislature party meeting on Wednesday, ending the decade-long rule of the Aam Aadmi Party under Arvind Kejriwal.
Born in Haryana’s Julana, Gupta pursued a BCom from Delhi University’s Daulat Ram College before earning a law degree from Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut. She has been actively involved in politics since her college days, starting her journey with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in 1992. She went on to serve as the secretary of the Delhi University Students’ Union in 1995-96 and became its president in 1996-97.
Gupta’s association with the RSS spans over three decades, and she joined the BJP in 2002. She has since held key positions, including national secretary of the party’s youth wing and in-charge of the BJP women’s wing in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Currently, she serves as the national vice-president of the BJP Mahila Morcha and is a member of the party’s national executive.
Her political career includes three terms as a councillor, representing North Pitampura from 2007 to 2017 and Shalimar Bagh from 2022 onwards. She has been at the forefront of women’s welfare initiatives, launching the Sumedha Yojana to support economically weaker female students in pursuing higher education. As the head of the Women Welfare and Child Development Committee in the civic body, she led multiple campaigns for women’s empowerment.
Gupta’s appointment makes her the fourth woman chief minister of Delhi, following in the footsteps of Sushma Swaraj, Sheila Dikshit, and Atishi. She is also the fourth BJP leader to hold the position after Madan Lal Khurana, Sahib Singh Verma, and Sushma Swaraj. Upon taking the oath, she will become the only woman chief minister in any BJP-ruled state.
The swearing-in ceremony is set to take place at Ramlila Maidan on Thursday, and will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other dignitaries. Gupta expressed her gratitude towards the party leadership in a post on X, vowing to work for the welfare, empowerment, and development of Delhi’s residents.
In the recent Delhi Assembly elections, Gupta won the Shalimar Bagh seat by over 29,000 votes, defeating AAP’s Bandana Kumari. The BJP secured a historic victory, winning 48 out of 70 seats, while AAP was reduced to 22 seats, and Congress failed to secure any.
The announcement of her appointment was met with celebrations by BJP workers and supporters, including her husband, Manish Gupta. Party leaders hailed her selection, with BJP MP Manoj Tiwari congratulating her on social media. Security arrangements have been ramped up for the oath-taking ceremony, with over 25,000 personnel deployed across key areas in Delhi.

Gupta’s name was announced at the BJP’s legislature party meeting, attended by observers Ravi Shankar Prasad and Om Prakash Dhankhar.

Gupta, a former president and general secretary of the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) has served as the general secretary of the BJP Mahila Morcha in Delhi and as a member of the party’s national executive committee.

She started her political journey with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) at Daulat Ram College, Delhi University, in 1992. In 1996-97, she became president of the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU), where she actively raised student-related issues.

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From municipal councillor to Delhi CM

Elected as a councillor from North Pitampura in 2007, she worked on enhancing public amenities such as libraries, parks, and swimming pools.

She was re-elected in 2012 and later served as the mayor of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), further building her administrative experience.

Rekha Gupta also launched the “Sumedha Yojana” to help economically weaker female students pursue higher education. As head of the Women Welfare and Child Development Committee, she worked on initiatives for women’s empowerment.

In these roles, she has been involved in various initiatives aimed at supporting marginalised communities and women.

Her engagement in social service has been influenced by her family’s emphasis on public welfare. Over the years, she has taken on multiple responsibilities in both political and community activities.

In the 2025 Delhi assembly election, Rekha Gupta won from the Shalimar Bagh (North-West) constituency with 68,200 votes.

She will take oath as Delhi chief minister on Thursday at Ramlila Maidan in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah, and other top BJP leaders.

Delhi new CM announcement LIVE: The newly elected Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs in Delhi will meet shortly to choose their legislative party leader, who will be sworn in as chief minister on February 20. Reports suggest the party is considering selecting the next chief minister from among the newly elected MLAs, with a woman MLA also being a possible choice.…Read More

As American foreign policy palpably shifts away from its traditional stance of isolating Russia, the world order is likely to witness a rejig. India, being one of the prominent emerging powers, is also taking close note of the development between heavyweights and is likely to shape its policy to conform with the redesigned global order.

Certain aspects are likely to go in India’s favour if the Kremlin and Pentagon tread a friendly path, which includes the following: 

India’s position as a counter to China may get stronger

India’s position as a counterbalance against China will become stronger as the US is likely to ease things for Russia. The Russia-China ties have prospered with unprecedented speed while Biden was in power, thanks to his ‘pivot to Europe.’. With Trump in power, Beijing-Moscow relations are set to witness a degree of dilution.

India’s defence ties with Russia

As the US and Russia come closer, India will have an open space to undertake defence acquisition with Moscow, without the potential threat of US sanctions hovering overhead. While Biden enjoyed the presidency in the US, trade with Russia appeared a challenge.

Impact on QUAD

Russia has remained sceptical of QUAD, a group of India, the US, Australia, and Japan. With Trump likely to integrate Russia with the Western bloc, Russian apprehension towards the QUAD is also expected to wither away.

What about Indian investments in Russia?

If the US decides in favour of lifting sanctions put on Russia, Western powers are likely to follow suit. If Moscow gets rid of sanctions, Indian investments in Russia will be more profitable. For example, Sakhalin projects bring Russia and India together on oil and gas development. India can initiate more energy projects in collaboration with Russia. 

Diversification in defence acquisition 

The melting ice in the Russia and US relations will potentially give India’s defence acquisition a good chance of diversification. The four years of Trump’s presidency come at a time when India is more urgently than ever looking to take stopgap measures to plug the gap vis-a-vis China’s military prowess. With the Pentagon and Kremlin coming together, India’s defence aspirations stand a good chance to benefit.

Also Read |  Why is Donald Trump so desperate to end Russia-Ukraine conflict? The reason may shock you

NEW DELHI: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath slammed opposition leaders including Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, RJD chief Lalu Yadav, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee and others for their controversial remarks over ongoing Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj.
‘Playing with the faith of these 56 crore people’
In the UP assembly, CM Yogi Adityanath emphasised the grandeur of the Maha Kumbh and condemned the spread of misinformation against Sanatan Dharma, Maa Ganga, and India. “While we are participating in the discussion here, at that time more than 56.25 crore devotees have already taken their holy dip in Prayagraj,” he said.
“When we make any baseless allegations or snow fake videos against Sanatan Dharma, Maa Ganga, India or the Maha Kumbh, it is like playing with the faith of these 56 crore people,” he added taking aim at opposition leaders.
‘Maha Kumbh does not belong to any political entity’
The UP chief minister further asserted that ‘Maha Kumbh belongs to society, not any political entity’. He dismissed claims that any specific group organises Maha Kumbh.
“This event is not organised by any particular party or organisation. This event is of the society, the government is there as a servant to complete its responsibilities, he added.
“It is our good fortune that our government got the opportunity to associate with the Maha Kumbh of this century. The country and the world have participated in this event and have taken it to new heights of success, ignoring all the false campaigns. Seven days of the Maha Kumbh are left, and as per the figures, more than 56 crore devotees have taken a holy dip till this afternoon,” the BJP leader said.
UP CM on Maha Kumbh stampede incidents
Addressing the Maha Kumbh stampede incidents, he expressed his sympathies for the victims and their families while criticising attempts to politicise the tragedies.
“Our sympathies are with all those who were victims of the stampede on 29 January and those who lost their lives in road accidents while travelling for Kumbh. Our condolences are with the family members, the government stands with them, the government will help them in every possible way but how appropriate is it to politicise this?” he added.
Adityanath slams opposition for controversial remarks
Adityanath further accused the opposition led by the SP of being against the Kumbh and not participating in discussion on the preparations for the festival during the last assembly session.
“They (Opposition) have been against the Maha Kumbh since day 1. In the last session, the discussions and preparations for the Maha Kumbh were underway. We would have discussed the plans and taken your suggestions, but you did not let the House run. The national president of the Samajwadi Party asked what was the need to spend money on the Maha Kumbh. The social media handles of the Samajwadi Party used language which any civilised society would not use. Lalu Yadav called the Kumbh ‘Faltu’. Another partner of the SP said the Maha Kumbh has become the ‘Mrityu Kumbh’. Congress, Samajwadi Party, RJD and TMC leaders made irresponsible statements. If organising events related to the Sanatana Dharma is a crime, then our government will keep committing that crime,” the CM said.
His statement came a day after West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee called Maha Kumbh a ‘Mrityu Kumbh’.
“Maha Kumbh has turned into ‘Mrityu Kumbh’. I respect Maha Kumbh, I respect the holy Ganga Maa. But there is no planning. For the rich, the VIP, there are systems available to get camps for as high as Rs 1 lakh. For the poor, there are no arrangements at Kumbh. Stampede situation is common in a ‘mela’ but it is important to make arrangements. What planning did you make?” said Mamata Banerjee, while attacking Adityanath.

President Trump justified cutting $21 million funding to India for voter turnout, citing high taxes and tariffs.