“Am I supposed to be thrilled?” Trump attacks ‘fantastic’ PM Modi over Harley Davidson duty

United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday once again raked up the issue of high import duty on Harley-Davidson motorcycles by India, saying the U.S. was “getting nothing” with New Delhi’s recent announcement that it had slashed customs duty on imported motorcycles from high-end brands to 50 per cent.

Mimicking the conversation he had with Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently, Trump referred to the Indian leader as a “fantastic man,” before quoting him further, “And I just want to inform you that we have readjusted it to 75, but we have further reduced it to 50.”

“What do I say? Am I supposed to be thrilled,” the American President added.

Trump said that the US was getting nothing on the motorcycles that it was importing from India.

“India sells us a lot of motorbikes. And when they have a motorbike or a motorcycle that comes into our country, the number is zero. We get zero,” Trump said.

“But they get a 100 per cent, brought down to 75, brought down to 50,” he added.

The US President also heaped praises on Harley Davidson, saying that the Wisconsin-based company never brought the issue up with him.

“It’s a great company. When I spoke with your chairman or the president of Harley, they weren’t even asking for it because they’ve been ripped off with trade so long that they were surprised that I brought it up. I’m the one that’s pushing it more than they are, but it’s unfair. And India sells us a lot of motorbikes,” Mr. Trump said.

This is for the second time in a month that Mr. Trump raised the issue of high import duty on motorcycles by India.

Earlier, he had called it “unfair” and threatened to increase the tariff on import of Indian motorcycles to the US.

(With PTI inputs)