New Delhi, July 9 -- World trade has turned into a reality show, with Trump pulling the strings and expecting countries to follow his lead. On 7 July 2025, US President Donald Trump escalated his trade offensive with a flurry of moves on his Truth Social account. He posted tariff notices issued to 14 countries-including Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand and South Africa-announcing higher duties of 25% to 40% from 1 August.

This was followed by a unilateral claim that a deal with India was near and an executive order extending the deadline for all countries to 1 August. Until then, the temporary 10% tariff-first imposed on 2 April as part of Trump's 'Liberation Day' measures-will remain in effect.

If an Indian deal comes through bef...