India's Communists condemn Trump's bullying

Trump in June, 2025 -- public domain image

Both the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Communist Party of India have issued statements condemning Trump's attempts at intimidation and bullying by imposing hefty new tariffs on India.

August 7, 2025

Press Statement

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:

Resist US Bullying Tactics

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) strongly condemns the United States for imposing a 50 per cent tariff on Indian exports. This unilateral move is arbitrary, dictatorial and reflects the bullying tactics of the US administration.

US President Donald Trump announced that a 25 per cent tariff would be imposed on Indian exports for not accepting all the demands made by the US during ongoing trade negotiations. On top of this, an additional 25 per cent was imposed as a penalty for India's purchase of Russian oil. The US and the EU are attempting to arm-twist countries like India for continuing trade relations with Russia, even as they themselves continue to trade with Russia.

The CPI(M) urges the Indian government to stand firm and resist succumbing to US pressure. The government must take immediate steps to protect the interests of Indian exporters who will be adversely affected by these tariff hikes.

The CPI(M) calls upon all its units to immediately organise protests against US bullying and in defence of our country's economic sovereignty.

New Delhi,

August 7, 2025

Press Release

CPI Condemns US Trade Aggression; Calls for Assertion of India’s Strategic Autonomy and Commitment to Multipolarity

The National Secretariat of the Communist Party of India issued today (August 7, 2025) the following statement:

The Communist Party of India strongly condemns the bullying tactics of US President Donald Trump by imposing punitive 50% tariffs on India in retaliation for its oil trade with Russia. This blatant weaponisation of trade relations is an attack on India’s autonomy and a crude attempt to enforce an exclusionary and decadent US-led world order. Such actions are aimed at coercing independent nations into submission and undermining their right to pursue sovereign foreign and economic policies.

Global policy making cannot be allowed to bend to the whims of any one country’s leadership, particularly one as erratic and hostile as Donald Trump. These latest developments reflect the deep unease in US policy circles about the irreversible rise of multipolarity and the growing confidence of emerging economies. Instead of accepting this reality, the United States continues to resort to threats and trade aggression to maintain its global hegemony.

India must firmly assert its strategic autonomy and reject any external diktats on whom it engages with economically or politically. The increasing tilt in India’s foreign policy towards the United States through arrangements like the QUAD is short-sighted and dangerous. A volatile and self-serving United States cannot be trusted as a reliable partner. India must reorient its priorities towards greater South-South solidarity, deepen cooperation with emerging economies, and contribute actively to building a democratic and multipolar global order.