Late-night show hosts Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon have criticised US President Donald Trump for imposing a 50 percent tariff on India.“I hope you remembered to set your clocks back to ‘more expensive’,” adding that Trump’s sweeping new tariffs are set to make the prices of items like gauze, bandages, and wading higher. Colbert emphasized that the tariffs, paid by American companies and consumers, vary based on the country from which the products are imported, citing that the EU faces levies of up to 10 to 15 percent.“But if the President’s mad at you, they can be much higher. For instance, Trump doubled tariffs on India to 50 percent,” he said.
Calling the tariffs “huge”, Colbert also said that Trump is “punishing” Brazil with 50 percent tariffs, which is going to affect Americans who eat meat, as Brazil sent over 180,000 tons of beef in the first half of the year. “They raised import taxes to the highest level since the Great Depression. Never a great sign to be compared to the worst thing ever,” Colbert said on the show. Trump previously warned that a recent court ruling against his use of the IEEPA, a Cold War-era law used to justify tariffs on several countries, by what he called a “Radical Left Court,” could trigger a devastating economic downturn comparable to the Great Depression.Trump also said such a decision should have been made earlier to avoid harming the country’s economic progress.
Jimmy Fallon criticizes Trump’s tariffs on India
Jimmy Fallon, on “The Tonight Show,” also condemned Trump’s tariff policy on India.“Today, more of President Trump’s tariffs went into effect for more than 90 countries, including Canada, Brazil, and India. The only places Trump didn’t charge are North Korea and Epstein Island,” Fallon said.
Fallon pointed out that the 50 percent tariff on Brazil will drive up prices on bananas, mangoes, pineapples, and even everyday items like toilet paper.“You know it’s bad when people come out of the bathroom like, ‘Hey, where’s that long CVS receipt?’” he said. Both Brazil and India have been hit with 50 percent tariffs by the US earlier this week. While India has called the tariff hike “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable”, Brazilian President Lula has challenged Trump, dismissing the possibility of direct talks with the US president, which he said would end in “humiliation.”