Former US President Donald Trump imposed steep tariffs—up to 50% on countries like India and Brazil, and a massive 100% tariff on branded and patented medicines. He claimed the move would protect American manufacturing and fix the trade gap. But six months later, the results look very different.
Harvard economist and former IMF Chief Gita Gopinath reviewed the impact and gave a blunt verdict: negative. In a post on X, she said the tariffs did raise money for the government, but US firms and consumers ended up paying the price. They also caused a slight rise in inflation, especially for household goods like appliances, furniture, and even coffee. However, the tariffs failed to boost manufacturing or improve America’s trade balance.
Other experts also questioned Trump’s aggressive approach. Srikanth Kondapalli, a professor at JNU, argued that the tariffs on India seemed more personal than economic. He suggested Trump’s anger should have been aimed at China, not India.
Bhaskar Chakravorti from Tufts University added that while the current 100% tariffs on patented drugs may not hurt India immediately, they bring the US dangerously close to targeting Indian generic drugs in the future.
