On November 10, 2025, Donald Trump said the United States would bring tariffs on India down “at some point,” but gave no date or product schedule. Later announcements in February and July 2026 set out separate, limited measures; they do not establish one tariff rate for every Indian product entering the United States.
What did Trump say in November 2025?
Speaking to reporters at the White House on November 10, Trump said: “We will bring the tariffs down at some point.” He linked the high tariffs to India’s purchases of Russian oil and said those purchases had been substantially reduced. That was Trump’s account, not a tariff order or a timetable for reducing duties.
Contemporaneous reports by the Indian Express and Scroll described the rate at the time as 50 percent: a 25 percent reciprocal tariff plus a separate 25 percent punitive tariff associated with Russian oil purchases. That figure describes the reported November 2025 situation, not a rate that can be applied to all Indian imports today. India’s Ministry of External Affairs neither confirmed nor denied Trump’s claim about reduced Russian oil purchases. It described secure supplies and stable energy prices as aims of India’s energy policy.
What tariff actions followed?
The later announcements were distinct from Trump’s November remark. The White House described the February framework as an interim trade arrangement, while its July memorandum addressed a separate Section 301 measure.
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| Date and source | What was announced | What the announcement does not establish |
|---|---|---|
| November 10–11, 2025; Trump’s remarks and contemporaneous reporting | Trump said tariffs would come down “at some point.” Indian Express and Scroll reported a combined 50 percent rate at the time, made up of two 25 percent components. | No reduction date, product schedule, or tariff order was provided in the quoted remarks. |
| February 2026; White House joint statement | The statement said the United States would apply an 18 percent reciprocal tariff to specified Indian-origin goods. It also described possible tariff removal for selected categories, contingent on successful conclusion of the interim agreement. | The statement does not say that every Indian-origin product received the same treatment or that the potential category-specific removals were unconditional. |
| February 2026; separate White House fact sheet | The fact sheet said the additional 25 percent tariff was removed and the reciprocal tariff was reduced from 25 percent to 18 percent. | These descriptions do not, by themselves, calculate the total duty on every product or shipment. |
| July 2026; White House Section 301 memorandum | The memorandum directed a 10 percent tariff on Indian goods within the measure’s scope, subject to exemptions. | This is a separate action, not a stated total rate to add to the February framework for every Indian import. |
Why is there no single “current US tariff on India” figure?
The announcements address different measures and product scopes. A headline percentage alone is not enough to determine the duty on a particular shipment, and the stated rates should not be added together into a universal total. The relevant result depends on the product and the rules that apply to it.
To assess a shipment, an importer needs to establish:
- the product’s customs classification;
- its country of origin under the applicable origin rules;
- which tariff instrument applies, including whether the product falls within the reciprocal or Section 301 measure;
- whether an exemption or category-specific provision covers it; and
- the effective date for the relevant measure.
The White House announcements summarized here do not provide a complete customs calculation for every product. A business pricing a shipment should verify the classification, applicable provisions, and effective date against the rules in force for that entry rather than rely on a general news headline.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What do the reported trade figures show?
The Indian Express, citing official data, reported that India’s goods exports to the United States fell 8.6 percent year over year to $6.3 billion in October 2025. It also reported declines in engineering goods, textiles and apparel, and gems and jewellery.
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Those figures describe a month’s trade flows; they do not prove that tariffs alone caused the declines, nor do they establish how a tariff change affected prices paid by US households. The data therefore provide context for the trade dispute, not a direct measure of its effect on an individual consumer’s costs.
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