US President Donald Trump on Monday said his hoarse voice came from raising his voice at “people who were being stupid” during discussions on trade and tariff policy. Speaking to reporters at an Oval Office event, he admitted he was not sounding his best, explaining that he had “blown [his] stack” while arguing over trade issues involving a country he did not name.“I feel great. I was shouting at people because they were stupid about something having to do with trade and a country, and I straightened it out, but I blew my stack at these people,” the US president said.Trump added that a country had tried to renegotiate its trade deal, prompting his frustration, but he declined to identify which nation he was referring to, telling reporters he saw no reason to reveal it.In his second term, Trump has centered his economic agenda on broad import tariffs aimed at boosting domestic manufacturing. But the policy now faces a major hurdle, as the Supreme Court is preparing to rule on whether his use of emergency powers to impose those tariffs is lawful.Amid growing concerns over rising costs in the United States, Trump last week moved to exempt a broad range of agricultural products from his reciprocal tariffs. The exemptions cover items such as beef, coffee, chocolate, bananas, tomatoes, oranges and several other goods.The United States is currently holding trade talks with several countries, with multiple deals at advanced stages. Key ongoing negotiations include trade pacts or frameworks with China (with a recently reached one-year framework truce), and a group of Southeast Asian and Latin American countries. In addition to these new or revised negotiations, the US maintains 20 comprehensive free trade agreements already in force with a range of countries.India and the US are also working on a trade deal, with six round of talks already completed.Meanwhile, India’s exports to the United States rose in October compared to September, despite the 50 per cent tariffs imposed by Trump on Indian goods. However, October exports to the US were still 8.58 percent lower than the same month in 2024.According to Global Trade and Research Initiative (GTRI) founder Ajay Srivastava, US-bound merchandise exports from India reached $6.3 billion in October, a 14.5 per cent increase from September and the first month-on-month growth since May, despite the steep tariffs.Trump imposed the 50 per cent duty in August, including a 25 per cent penalty linked to India’s crude oil imports from Russia.Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday also suggested the India–US trade pact could soon be concluded, saying that once a “fair, equitable and balanced” agreement is reached, the country can expect “good news.”
