“You can neither fathom Donald Trump nor can you ignore POTUS." The man’s a walking paradox, a tangerine-tinted showman who’s slapped India with an arbitrary 50% tariff hike for buying Russian oil. It’s not policy—it’s a tantrum dressed up as tariffs but ostensibly are sanctions.

Welcome to the new Great America, where whimsical decrees threaten to unravel global trade faster than a Delhi traffic jam. Let’s unpack this circus.

It is pernicious to use Donald and diplomacy in the same breath these days. Trump’s latest stunt, blasted on Truth Social on July 31, 2025, targets Bharat’s exports—diamonds, soybeans, textiles, agriculture, dairy, and nuts—with a tariff that feels like a personal vendetta. Why? Because we’re buying Russian oil, apparently a graver sin than the EU, China, or even the US doing the same.

The hypocrisy’s thicker than a monsoon fog. As per the International Energy Agency, China imported over 2 million barrels of Russian crude daily in 2024, outpacing India’s 1.75 million. The EU shelled out €22 billion for Russian fossil fuels, and the US quietly imported $3.5 billion in Russian goods. Yet, Bharat’s the punching bag? Classic Trump—swinging at the softer target while winking at the bigger dogs. This isn’t principle; it’s politics.

Trump’s MAGA campaign, once a shimmering beacon, is now a faded bumper sticker. His disenchanted base—heartland folks who bought the “bring back manufacturing" dream—is restless. So, he picks a fight with India to look tough. The problem is, the US isn’t spinning out diamonds, soybeans, or affordable apparel to replace our exports. The Global Trade Research Initiative says these tariffs could halve India’s $86 billion in US exports, but American consumers will be at the receiving end of this deal. Shoe prices could spike 40%, apparel 38%, and cars $5,800, as per the Budget Lab. Trump’s own supporters, already squeezed by inflation, will........

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