🍝 Today's Sitdown: 'Fantastic progress' in trade deal talks with US - India minister
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'Fantastic progress' in trade deal talks with US - India minister
Date: 7/25/2025 Original Source: BBC (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8e4eyz8dd6o)
TONY SAYS:
So listen to this, Paulie… this Goyal guy, the Indian commerce minister, he’s sayin’ they’re makin’ “fantastic progress” on this trade deal with the US. Fantastic progress, he says. Sounds like a fuckin’ used car salesman to me, right? "Fantastic progress," my ass. These guys are weaselin' around like eels in a septic tank.
(Sips espresso, stares out the window for a moment)
This whole thing started with Trump, that loudmouth, threatenin' 26% tariffs on Indian goods. April 2nd, I think it was. Like some kinda goddamn Godfather offering, only instead of a horse’s head, it's a 26% tariff on their crap. He gave 'em a couple of extensions, first to July 9th, then to August 1st. Basically, he's playin' hardball, see? He's like me trying to get a fair price for a shipment of… uh… let’s just say construction materials from that Silvio guy. You gotta squeeze 'em. You gotta make 'em sweat.
(Takes another sip, drums his fingers on the table)
They’ve been back and forth, these Indian guys, flyin' over here, schmoozin' with the big shots in Washington. Bunch of suits, probably smellin' like sandalwood and desperation. Trump himself, even he was sayin’ they were “very close” to a deal last week. Very close. That’s the kind of bullshit you hear from a guy who’s about to get whacked. He’s pumpin' up the situation, but I ain’t buyin’ it, Paulie. Not yet.
This Goyal fella, he’s spinnin’ it like a top, tellin' Reuters and Bloomberg they’ll get a deal done before August 1st. But the real problem, the fuckin’ elephant in the room, is agriculture and dairy. The Americans want a bigger piece of the Indian farm market – they see it as a goldmine, a whole lotta moolah. But these Indians, they’re protectin’ their farmers, sayin’ it’s about food security. Bullshit! It’s about power, Paulie, it's always about power. They're playing the same game as us, but with rice paddies instead of concrete.
(leans forward conspiratorially)
So what’s the bottom line? This whole thing is a negotiation, a big fuckin’ poker game. They’re all bluffin', and posturing, and threatenin'. Goyal’s sayin’ "negotiations happen in the negotiation room," which is a fancy way of sayin’, "fuck off, we'll see what we can get away with.” Maybe they’ll strike a small deal, maybe a bigger one. Hell, maybe they'll even walk away empty-handed. But one thing’s for sure, Paulie: nobody’s givin’ anything away without a fight. Capisce?
(Takes a long drag from his cigarette, then lets out a sigh.) It's all just business, Paulie. Sometimes, the business is messy, sometimes bloody, but it's always business. And remember what I always say… in the end, it’s all about who’s got the biggest… influence.
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