Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Sunday shared his views on US President Donald Trump’s remarks about India. Tharoor said that Trump has a “fairly mercurial temperament” after the US President softened his stand on India just days after imposing heavy tariffs.

Recently, Trump had announced 50 per cent tariffs on India, which created tension between the two countries. Tharoor welcomed the softer tone from Trump but said India should be careful. “I would welcome Trump’s new tone, but with a spirit of caution. One can’t just forget and forgive so quickly because there are real consequences that Indians are facing on the ground, and those consequences need to be overcome,” he told ANI.

Tharoor added that Trump’s words had hurt India. “What he has been saying has caused some hurt and offence in our country. The 50 per cent tariffs have actually had consequences already,” he said. He also noted that while the change in Trump’s tone was positive, the damage caused earlier could not be ignored.

Praise for PM Modi and Jaishankar

The MP from Thiruvananthapuram praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar for their quick response to the issue. “I don’t think we can just completely forget either the 50 per cent tariffs or the insults that have accompanied them from both the President and his staff. I think there’s some serious repair work that needs to be done by governments and diplomats on both sides,” Tharoor added.

Trump’s tariffs on India

Trump had first imposed 25 per cent tariffs on India for procuring Russian oil. Later, he added another 25 per cent, bringing the total levy to 50 per cent. His administration argued that India’s purchase of Russian oil was fuelling the war in Ukraine, which began in 2022.

However, with India refusing to bow to pressure, Trump softened his tone on Friday. He praised the relationship with India and described PM Modi as his “good friend”. Modi responded by saying that India and the US share a very positive and forward-looking partnership.

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