Boycott of American brands begins in India over Trump tariffs

The boycott calls target major US companies such as McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Amazon and Apple. India is a key market for these companies: WhatsApp has the largest user base here and Domino’s pizza chain has more restaurants in the country than anywhere else in the world.

Although there has been no noticeable decline in sales so far, calls to buy domestic products are increasingly spreading on social media. Manish Chowdhary, co-founder of Wow Skin Science, has urged consumers to support Indian farmers and startups in a public video message, urging them to support “Made in India” products globally.

Prime Minister Modi made a “special appeal” over the weekend for self-sufficiency, stressing that Indian technology companies can produce for the global market, but now domestic needs must be prioritized. Although he did not name specific companies, the Swadeshi Jagran Manch, a movement close to the government, has already organized public protests and is calling for a boycott of restaurant chains like McDonald’s.

But the protests are not affecting everyone equally: a McDonald’s customer in Uttar Pradesh told Reuters that he was not interested in the tariff debate – he said coffee is still good value for money, and that is more important to him than political messages.