India's tariff rate 175%? New book claims Trump lost temper with Lutnick over US govt figures

A new book on US President Donald Trump revealed details about a clash between him and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick over tariff data on India and China.

According to reported excerpts from the book — Regime Change Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump — the US President disputed Indian tariffs figures shown to him by Lutnick, refusing to accept that the numbers came from the US government.

“These are bullshit numbers!” Trump said, according to the account, as reported by several media outlets. Lutnick responded that they were government figures.

As per the book by two New York Times reporters, Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, Trump was convinced that India's tariffs on the US were much higher than the ones recorded by the office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR).

"Nobody has f***ing given me any numbers. Hard facts of how much China tariffs us, how much India tariffs us. You give me bullshit numbers," Trump was quoted as saying in the book, according to the Hindustan Times.

However, when commerce secretary Lutnick presented Trump with the duties on record at USTR, Trump lost his cool and accused his administration of giving him false data, the report added.

“No, these are bullshit numbers,” repeated Trump, calling government data “f***ing bullshit," despite Lutnick's best attempt to convince the US president.

As per the book, Trump was convinced that India's tariffs on US goods were at least 175 per cent, if not higher. “Those who won’t build here are going to have massive tariffs to pay,” Trump said, according to the reported excerpts, adding that India charged 175 percent.

That figure is far above India’s average tariff rates as tracked by international trade bodies, reports added. Several US officials, such as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, also referred to India as the “maharaja of tariffs.”

Mentioned in the fact sheet for the interim bilateral trade deal between India and the US, the White House mentioned that "India has maintained some of the highest tariffs on the United States of any major world economy, with tariffs as high as an average of 37% for agricultural goods and more than 100% on certain automobiles."

The World Trade Organization (WTO) data also show India’s simple average most-favoured-nation applied tariff at 15.8 percent in 2025, with the trade-weighted average at 12 percent for 2023.

According to Press Insider, the new book suggests the commerce secretary later found himself caught between Trump’s political use of tariff claims and official data that did not match the president’s numbers.

India, along with China, has repeatedly figured in Trump’s argument that the US has been treated unfairly by its trading partners.

India-US trade deal talks

The surprising private exchange between Trump and Lutnick came to light as the US and India continue to negotiate a trade deal -- a framework of which was released by both parties in February this year.

India's Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal recently concluded talks with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on the India-US deal.

“We reviewed progress of the ongoing India–US trade discussions and explored avenues to further deepen our economic partnership,” Goyal said in post on X on Wednesday following talks with Greer.

In a separate statement, Goyal said both sides are seeking a “balanced” agreement that delivers “tangible benefits for businesses, farmers, workers and consumers in both countries.”

The US trade chief traveled to India this week to advance trade negotiations that have dragged on for months. The officials discussed enhanced market access, digital trade, supply chain resilience and reduction of non-tariff barriers in the latest round of talks, according to the statement.

The visit came days after US President Donald Trump met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in France and said the two sides were “very close” to an agreement.

India and the US announced a trade framework in February that reduced tariffs on Indian goods to 18% from 50%. Days later, however, the US Supreme Court struck down Trump’s sweeping global tariff regime, injecting fresh uncertainty into when the pact would be implemented.

The Office of the US Trade Representative subsequently launched Section 301 investigations into several countries, including India, over concerns ranging from forced labor to excess production capacity. New Delhi wants Washington to terminate the investigations and address the issue within the framework of ongoing trade negotiations and not through unilateral measures.

Greer’s visit marked a “key step” in ongoing efforts to finalize an agreement, according to India’s trade ministry statement. “The two sides expressed confidence that ongoing negotiations will further deepen economic ties,” it added.

(With inputs from Bloomberg)