Trump's tariff wars: Suhel Seth says it's time to build great Indian brands globally and 'Believe In India'
Brand consultant and columnist Suhel Seth calls Donald Trump's 50% tariff hike on Indian goods "irresponsible" and a wake-up call for India to assert its global economic power.
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In a dramatic escalation of trade tensions, US President Donald Trump has imposed a 50% tariff on Indian goods, triggering concern and outrage in Indian policy and business circles.
The move, split into two phases - 25% effective August 7 and an additional 25% kicking in on August 27 - is being positioned as a punitive measure against India for continuing to import Russian crude oil.
With the new levies, Indian products will become significantly more expensive in the US market, threatening to slash India's exports to the US by nearly half.
Speaking in response to the development, outspoken brand strategist and columnist Suhel Seth minced no words.
Suhel Seth on how Trump’s Tariffs could spark India’s Global Brand Revolution
— Storyboard18 (@Storyboard18_) August 7, 2025
Trump’s tariff wars - a great opportunity for India: Suhel Seth slams Donald Trump’s announcement of a 50% tariff on Indian goods, calling it an act of economic bullying. “India must not and will not… pic.twitter.com/PPSF3Binm3
"There's a lot of consternation in India about Donald J. Trump's absolutely irresponsible behaviour as the President," he said, labelling Trump "an absolute bully" and "essentially a coward."
While acknowledging that India may suffer in the short term, Seth maintained that the long-term strength of India's economy, driven by robust domestic consumption and a pool of globally competitive talent, remains unshaken. "We cannot allow our country to be subjugated by an absolute bully," he declared.
Seth urged India to seize this moment as an inflection point. "I see a great opportunity for the enormous pool of talent that India has... that we will convert adversity into opportunity. We will build great global brands out of India," he said.
Citing homegrown success stories like Tata's acquisition of Jaguar Land Rover and Mukesh Ambani's launch of Jio, Seth said it was time Indians stopped being "squeamish" about taking their brands global.
He dismissed any notion that Indians need to be bullied into buying domestic products, stating: "Indians will buy brands not because they're being bullied... but because they believe in buying brands."
Seth argued that the time had come to go beyond campaigns like 'Make in India' or 'Startup India' and fully believe in India’s own capabilities. “There is no better time than now to believe in India,” he asserted.
Concluding with a sharp rebuke to the US President, Seth said, "Donald Trump, wherever the hell he is, should listen to this and recognize that India is no longer what it used to be. We're a vibrant economy. We have a huge consumptive domestic demand... and just for Donald Trump to know, we're a civilizational legacy. We aren't a recent Republic like the one you had."
