US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick believes India will return to the negotiating table within the next couple of months — and this time, he says, they’ll be “saying sorry” in hopes of sealing a trade deal with Washington.
Speaking to Bloomberg TV on Friday, Lutnick argued that the US holds the upper hand as the world’s largest consumer market, adding, “The consumer is always right.”
“In a month or two… India is going to be at the table, and they’re going to say they’re sorry, and they’re going to try to make a deal with Donald Trump. And it will be on Donald Trump’s desk how he wants to deal with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We leave that to him,” Lutnick said.
‘Pick a Side’
Lutnick criticized India for resisting market liberalization, continuing purchases from Russia, and staying aligned with the BRICS bloc. “They are a vowel between Russia and China,” he said. “If that’s who you want to be, go be it. But either support the dollar, support the US, support your biggest client — the American consumer — or face a 50% tariff.”
Trade Talks on Hold
Earlier this month, Indian Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal voiced optimism about finalizing a bilateral trade agreement with the US by November. But talks have stalled since American negotiators postponed a planned August 25 visit to New Delhi. Indian officials say removing the US’s additional 25% tariffs on Indian goods is key to restarting negotiations.
‘The Customer Is Always Right’
Reiterating America’s economic clout, Lutnick said: “They need to decide which side they want to be on. The Chinese sell to us. The Indians sell to us. They’re not going to sell to each other. We are the consumers of the world — a $30 trillion economy. Eventually, they all have to come back to the customer.”
Calling Modi’s SCO Diplomacy ‘Bravado’
Lutnick also dismissed Modi’s recent meeting with Chinese and Russian leaders at the SCO summit as political showmanship. He compared it to Canada’s retaliatory tariffs against the US, which he said backfired — citing Canada’s GDP drop of 1.6% and rising unemployment. “It feels good to fight with your biggest client,” Lutnick said, “but eventually your businesses will tell you to stop and make a deal with America.”
