From Pepsi To McDonald's, US Giants Face Swadeshi Heat Amid Trump Tariffs

A wave of anti-US sentiment has gripped India since US President Donald Trump imposed 50 per cent tariffs on the South Asian nation. The tariffs on India, which were slapped due to its purchase of Russian oil, are among the highest in the world.

As a result of this, American multinationals such as Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Subway, KFC, McDonald's face a threat of being boycotted.

Yoga guru Ramdev has advised Indians to boycott all American products over Trump's tariffs on India. "Not a single Indian should be seen at the counters of Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Subway, KFC, or McDonald's. There should be such a massive boycott," he said, adding, "If this happens, chaos will ensue in America."

#WATCH | Noida, UP | On 25% additional US tariffs on India from August 27, Yoga guru Ramdev says, "Indian citizens should strongly oppose the 50% tariffs that America has imposed on India as political bullying, hooliganism and dictatorship. American companies and brands should be… pic.twitter.com/sJedjdNt0k

— ANI (@ANI) August 27, 2025

Anti-American boycotts are already going on in other parts of the world such as France, the United Kingdom and Canada.

With a population of 1.5 billion, India's boycott of US companies could cause massive losses and serious challenges. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged Indians to buy and use "swadeshi" or homegrown goods.

He said, "Anyone who wants to make India the third-largest economy in the world, any political party, any leader, should speak in the country's interest and instill in people that they need to resolve to buy 'swadeshi'... When we decide to buy anything, there should be only one measure: We are going to buy those things which an Indian has sweated to make. Anything that has been made by the people of India, using the skill of the people of India, by the sweat of the people of India, is 'swadeshi' for us. We will have to adopt the 'vocal for local' mantra," he explained."

He also took a jibe at Trump and said that there is a politics of economic selfishness in the world and everyone is busy protecting their own self interest.

On August 6, Trump added a penalty of 25 per cent over and above the 25 per cent reciprocal tariffs on India.

He posted on Truth Social, "India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian Oil, they are then, for much of the Oil purchased, selling it on the Open Market for big profits," and added, "They don't care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine. Because of this, I will be substantially raising the Tariff paid by India to the USA."

In a calm pushback, New Delhi said the extra tariff was "unfair, unjustified and unreasonable" and declared that it would "take all actions necessary to protect national interests".

The increased penalty came into effect on August 27.

AAP MP Ashok Kumar Mittal wrote an open letter to Trump, referencing the Swadeshi Movement of August 7, 1905 and said, "If 146 crore Indians were to channel that spirit today and initiate a strategic restriction of US businesses, the impact would be far more severe for the United States than for India."

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐟 146 crore Indians boycott American companies operating in India?

My open letter to @realDonaldTrump on US's 50% tariffs for India, in which I 𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐞 him to “choose dialogue over discord, coordination over coercion.”

Jai Hind! pic.twitter.com/rQJXv8yhiY

— Ashok Kumar Mittal (@DrAshokKMittal) August 7, 2025

Westlife Foodworld Limited, which operates McDonald's in West and South India, reported Rs 2390 crore in revenue for the fiscal year 2024, a 5 per cent increase from the previous year. 

Meanwhile, PepsiCo India's revenue stands at Rs 8,200 crore for fiscal year 2024. India ranks among the top 15 markets globally for PepsiCo. PepsiCo has invested close to Rs 3,500-4,000 crore in the Indian market since the last three years.