'Pakistanis are brilliant people': Donald Trump hints they deserve better than looming US tariffs

In a Fox News interview, U.S. President Donald Trump lavished praise on Pakistanis as “brilliant people” who make “incredible products”  even as a looming 29% tariff threatens to hit Pakistani exports hard. 

“They would love to trade with the U.S.,” Trump said, ignoring the fact that Pakistan already exports over $5 billion worth of goods to America while buying only $2.1 billion in return.

But while Trump extended a warm hand to Islamabad, he kept his gloves on for India. Calling New Delhi one of the “highest tariff nations in the world,” Trump claimed India had offered to eliminate all tariffs on U.S. goods. “Do you know they’re willing to cut 100% of their tariffs for the United States?” he said, before immediately downplaying the urgency: “That’ll come soon. I’m in no rush.”

The comments come amid stalled trade talks with India and a temporary pause on the 27% U.S. tariffs imposed on Indian imports in April. India has since lowered duties on select U.S. goods like bourbon and motorcycles, but a broader deal remains elusive. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar pushed back on Trump’s claim, saying negotiations are “complex” and that any agreement must be “mutually beneficial.”

Trump’s trade diplomacy took an even more strategic turn when he claimed credit for using trade as a tool to defuse tensions between nuclear rivals India and Pakistan. “That was going to be a nuclear war, I think or close,” Trump said, referring to ceasefire efforts he claims were tied to economic bargaining. “I’m using trade to settle scores and make peace.”

As Washington prepares to reset tariffs on multiple trading partners in the coming weeks, Trump’s comments have reignited concerns in India over the unpredictability of his “America First” doctrine — one that praises strategic rivals while keeping democratic allies like India on edge.