Donald Trump Repeats Claim of Mediating India-Pakistan Peace Deal, Revises Jet Count to Eight:

At a recent event in Miami, former US President Donald Trump once again claimed that he personally brokered peace between India and Pakistan, revising his earlier statements about the number of fighter jets downed during the conflict — this time increasing the count from seven to eight. Speaking at the America Business Forum, Trump reiterated his long-standing assertion that he intervened during a period of high tension between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. He said the two countries “made peace” only after he threatened to cancel their trade deals unless they ceased hostilities. “I was in the midst of a trade deal with India and Pakistan,” Trump said. “Then I read on the front page that they were going to war. Seven planes were shot down, and the eighth was badly wounded. I said, ‘This is war, and they are going at it. They are two nuclear nations. I’m not making any trade deals with you unless you agree to peace.’” According to Trump, both Delhi and Islamabad initially rejected his condition, insisting that their conflict was unrelated to trade. However, he claimed that his threat worked and that peace was achieved soon after. “The next day, I got a call saying they had made peace. I said, ‘Thank you. Let’s do trade.’ Without tariffs, that would have never happened,” Trump added, drawing cheers from the crowd. India Denies US Role in Ceasefire India has firmly denied Trump’s claims, maintaining that there was no US mediation involved in ending hostilities. According to Indian officials, the ceasefire on May 10 was a result of direct military communication between commanders from both sides after Pakistan sought an end to the offensive. The brief but intense confrontation followed Operation Sindoor, a retaliatory strike by Indian forces on May 7, targeting terror camps deep inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The operation was launched in response to the killing of 26 civilians by Pakistan-sponsored militants in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam region. Over the next four days, both sides engaged in heavy cross-border firing and missile exchanges. Eventually, Pakistan requested a ceasefire, which was accepted by India. Trump’s Persistent Claim of Peacemaking Despite multiple denials from India, Trump has repeated his India-Pakistan peace claim over 60 times since May. He frequently cites it as one of his major foreign policy achievements, along with his supposed efforts to prevent conflicts in Kosovo-Serbia and Congo-Rwanda. While critics dismiss Trump’s assertions as exaggerated or fabricated, his supporters see them as evidence of his “tough negotiation style” and “America-first” diplomacy. Analysts, however, point out that there is no official record or corroboration of any US mediation between India and Pakistan in May. Both governments have consistently maintained that the ceasefire was a bilateral decision, achieved through existing military channels — not through Washington’s intervention. Still, Trump continues to highlight the episode as an example of his ability to use trade leverage to ensure peace, a narrative that resonates strongly with his political base as he portrays himself as a global dealmaker and peacemaker on the campaign trail.

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