The Walkback: White House Quietly Deletes ‘Pulses’ and ‘Tax’ from India Trade Factsheet

In diplomacy, the loudest announcements often hide the quietest retreats.

On Monday, the Trump White House released a triumphant factsheet celebrating a "Historic Trade Deal" with India. It outlined specific, hard-won concessions: India would lower tariffs on pulses, scrap its digital services tax, and "commit" to buying $500 billion in American goods.

By Tuesday morning, that victory lap hit a speed bump.

Without a press conference or a formal errata, the White House uploaded a revised version of the same document. The file name was the same, but the text had changed significantly. The references to "certain pulses" were gone. The "commitment" to buy goods was downgraded to a mere "intent." The promise to scrap the digital tax? Vanished.

Was this a clerical error, or a case of American negotiators spinning a narrative that New Delhi refused to sign off on? The devil, as always, is in the deletion.

The Three "Ghost" Clauses

For trade watchers, the edits aren't just semantic—they are structural. Here is what was removed, and why it matters.

1. The Pulse Protocol: From "Eliminate" to "Omitted"

The Original Text: Stated that India would "eliminate or reduce tariffs" on a wide range of US agricultural products, explicitly listing "certain pulses" alongside tree nuts and fruit. The Revision: The word "pulses" has been scrubbed entirely from the list.

The Reality: Pulses (lentils, chickpeas) are a political third rail in India. With farmers' protests already a sensitive subject, the Indian government likely refused to open the floodgates to American lentils, which would undercut domestic prices. The US factsheet tried to claim a win that wasn't there.

2. The $500 Billion: From "Committed" to "Intends"

The Original Text: "India committed to buy more American products and purchase over $500 billion..." The Revision: "India intends to buy more American products..."

The Reality: In legal and diplomatic terms, "commit" is binding; "intend" is aspirational. A commitment creates an obligation that can be challenged in trade tribunals. An intent is a best-effort promise—essentially, a "we’ll see." New Delhi clearly pushed back against being legally hooked for half a trillion dollars in purchases.

3. The Tech Tax: The Vanishing Concession

The Original Text: "India will remove its digital services taxes." The Revision: Now states India is "committed to negotiate a robust set of bilateral digital trade rules."

The Reality: This is a massive walkback for Big Tech. The original text suggested an immediate repeal of India’s Equalisation Levy (the so-called "Google Tax"). The new text suggests a long, drawn-out negotiation. The tax stays for now.

Anatomy of a Disconnect

How does a White House factsheet get published with errors of this magnitude?

There are two likely scenarios.

Scenario A: The "Spin" Attempt. The Trump administration, eager to show a tangible win after months of tariff threats, deliberately overstated the deal to domestic audiences (specifically US farmers and Big Tech), hoping India wouldn't publicly contradict them.

Scenario B: The Negotiating Gap. US negotiators might have believed they had these concessions in hand during the verbal "handshake" phase, only for Indian bureaucrats (the MEA and Commerce Ministry) to circle the red lines when they saw the text.

The evidence points to Scenario B. The Joint Statement issued by both nations on February 6th was far more cautious than the White House’s original Monday factsheet. The Joint Statement never mentioned pulses. It never used the word "committed" for the $500 billion figure.

The White House effectively tried to rewrite the Joint Statement on its own letterhead—and got caught.

What Remains of the Deal?

Even with these deletions, the "Interim Agreement" is significant, though less lopsided.

• Tariff Truce: The US reciprocal tariff on Indian goods drops from the threatened levels (often 25-50% under Trump) to 18%.

• Energy & Defense: The "intent" to buy energy and aircraft remains the core of the deal, aligning with India's existing import needs.

• The Russian Oil Factor: The punitive 25% duty linked to India’s purchase of Russian crude is removed, a major relief for New Delhi.

The Bottom Line

The revised factsheet is a reality check. It confirms that while India is willing to buy its way out of a trade war (via energy and defense purchases), it is not willing to sacrifice its farmers (pulses) or its sovereign right to tax digital revenue (DST) just to appease Washington.

The deal is "historic," sure. But mostly because of how quickly the history had to be rewritten.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: Did India agree to remove tariffs on US pulses?A: No. While the original White House factsheet claimed this, the reference to "pulses" was removed in the revised version. Pulses remain a protected sector.

Q: What is the difference between "committed" and "intends" in the trade deal?A: "Committed" implies a binding, legal obligation to purchase goods. "Intends" is a statement of plan or ambition, which offers India flexibility if market conditions change.

Q: Is India removing the Digital Services Tax (DST)?A: Not immediately. The revised text says India will "negotiate" rules, removing the previous claim that the tax would be scrapped outright.

Q: Why did the White House change the factsheet?A: It likely faced diplomatic pushback from New Delhi for overstating the terms of the agreement compared to the official Joint Statement signed on February 6.

Q: Does the deal still lower US tariffs on Indian goods?A: Yes. The reciprocal tariff on Indian exports to the US is set to be reduced to 18%, down from the higher punitive rates threatened by the Trump administration.