Policies & Issues

Tariff on India Will Be 25%, Trump Says

Policies & IssuesJul 30, 2025

Tariff on India Will Be 25%, Trump Says

The president made the announcement via Truth Social Wednesday, adding that India also will face a penalty for its dealings with Russia.

Stock image of rough diamonds from the Kimberley mine
President Donald Trump said Wednesday morning that the tariff on goods imported into the United States from India, the country that processes 90 percent of the world’s rough diamonds, will be 25 percent.
Washington, D.C.—The tariff on goods imported from India—where 90 percent of the world’s diamonds are cut and polished—to the United States will jump to 25 percent, President Donald Trump announced Wednesday morning.

Writing on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump said, “Remember, while India is our friend, we have, over the years, done relatively little business with them because their Tariffs are far too high, among the highest in the World, and they have the most strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary Trade Barriers of any Country.”

The president added that India also will face a penalty for buying energy and military equipment from Russia “at a time when everyone wants Russia to STOP THE KILLING IN UKRAINE.” 

A tariff of 25 percent on Indian imports is slightly lower than the 26 percent Trump announced on “Liberation Day,” but is higher than what Indian officials were hoping could be negotiated in a trade deal.

The tax on Indian imports is set to kick in this Friday, Aug. 1, the new date Trump and other White House officials set earlier this month for implementation of the president’s higher “reciprocal” tariffs. 

 Related stories will be right here … 

Since Trump first announced his intention to raise taxes on imports, leaders in the jewelry industry have been lobbying the U.S. government for an exemption for diamonds and gemstones, arguing that these natural resources cannot be sourced in the U.S.

On Wednesday morning, JA President and CEO David Bonaparte said members of JA’s political action committee, JAPAC, are scheduled to go to Washington, D.C., in mid-August to meet with top administration officials to discuss possible exemptions for diamonds, gemstones, and finished jewelry.

JAPAC also plans to bring a large contingent of jewelry industry leaders to D.C. on Sept. 17 as part of its annual fly-in.

In India, the country’s main trade organization, the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council, has been leading lobbying efforts for exemptions that would aid the jewelry industry. 

The organization could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday morning on Trump’s 25 percent announcement. 

The slate of tariffs Trump announced in April set the baseline for tariffs on all goods imported in the U.S. at 10 percent, and imposed steeper “reciprocal” tariffs on more than 50 countries, including a number that are key players in the jewelry supply chain.

A few hours after the tariffs went into effect on April 9, Trump announced a 90-day pause on their implementation, dropping the rate to 10 percent across the board.

In early July, shortly before the pause was set to expire, Trump and various administration officials announced that they would give countries a few more weeks to negotiate, and that higher tariffs would not take effect until Aug. 1.

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