India isn’t an aggressive mercantilist state, like China, but it is thoroughly protectionist. As a result, you could make a case for Trump’s decision to increase tariffs on Indian goods if you view the issue in narrowly economic terms.
But to do that is borderline insane. India has immense geopolitical significance. It has to be the centerpiece of any effort to balance the growing Chinese dominance of the Far East. Furthermore, it is teetering on the verge of war with Pakistan, which is effectively evolving into a Chinese client state. Is this really the time to send the “America First, and everyone else sucks” message to the Indians?
This is yet another example of how the nationalist and internationalist strains of Trumpist/Bannonist thought can’t be reconciled. The results will be awful.