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Trump's praiseworthy India trade deal - Washington Examiner
President Donald Trump's trade deal with India is welcome news for the United States and for India. It will help counter Chinese influence.
www.washingtonexaminer.com
By James Rogan
February 4, 2026 6:00 am
Earlier this week, President Donald Trump announced that the United States and India had reached a landmark trade agreement. While the precise language of the deal has not yet been released, the broad contours are unmistakably positive for both countries.
Under the agreement, tariffs on Indian exports to the United States will be reduced dramatically, falling to roughly 18% from levels that reached as high as 50% on certain goods. In exchange, India will eliminate tariffs on American exports entirely. India has also agreed to halt purchases of Russian oil and to commit, over a five-year period, to buying an additional $500 billion in U.S. goods and services. Those purchases will span communications equipment, pharmaceuticals, energy products, defense items, and agricultural goods.
The agricultural component of the deal is especially significant. The U.S. holds a clear comparative advantage in agricultural production, yet American farmers have long been locked out of the Indian market by high tariffs and restrictive regulations. Opening that market represents a meaningful opportunity for rural America and a long-overdue correction to an unbalanced trade relationship.
The president and his senior trade team deserve credit for securing this agreement. This is not a routine commercial transaction. It is a strategic realignment that reflects a fundamental economic and geopolitical reality: India is a rising power, both economically and politically. It dominates South
