India-West News Desk
WASHINGTON, DC – Another attack from the Trump administration has landed on India as New Delhi digs in its heels against escalating trade tensions. This time, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent mocked the Indian rupee, dismissing its chances of ever rivaling the dollar as a global reserve currency.
The remarks follow the administration’s imposition of steep 50% reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods.
When asked on Fox News if he worried about India shifting trade to the rupee instead of the dollar, Bessent replied, “There are a lot of things I worry about. The rupee becoming a reserve currency is not one of them.”
Bessent underscored that the Indian currency was hovering near an “all-time low,” framing it as evidence of the dollar’s continued dominance in global markets.
While describing the U.S.-India relationship as “very complicated,” Bessent struck a cautiously optimistic note, “India is the world’s largest democracy and the U.S. is the world’s largest economy. At the end of the day, we will come together,” he said.
But his optimism was tempered by criticism in what he described as New Delhi’s “performative” trade negotiations.
Despite the sharp rhetoric, India has shown no sign of backing down. According to Reuters, Indian officials remain hopeful that Washington may soften its tariff stance in the coming days, even as the Trump administration doubles down on its aggressive trade posture.
