US President Trump reiterated his belief that his signature use of trade tariffs served as a powerful diplomatic tool to prevent conflicts around the world. Speaking about his approach, he said that of the eight wars he claims to have ended during his tenure.
Donald Trump, US President, has once again asserted that his use of trade tariffs played a decisive role in stopping a potential large-scale conflict between India and Pakistan. Speaking to reporters at the White House on Thursday (November 6), Trump claimed that his intervention โsettledโ the crisis within a single day.
โOf the eight wars I ended, five or six were because of tariffs,โ the President said. โIf you look at India and Pakistan, they were about to fight โ two nuclear nations. Eight planes were shot down. And I said, โIf you guys are going to fight, I am going to put tariffs on you.โ They were not happy, and within 24 hours, I settled the war. Without tariffs, I wouldnโt have been able to do that.โ
The President was referring to the border escalation earlier this year following Indiaโs precision strikes on Pakistani terror camps under ‘Operation Sindoor’, conducted in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians in Jammu and Kashmir in the month of April this year.
‘A great man and a friend’: Trump on PM Modi
During the same press briefing, which primarily focused on a new policy aimed at reducing prices of weight-loss drugs, President Trump praised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, describing him as โa great manโ and โa friend.โ
โHe largely stopped buying from Russia. He is a friend of mine, and we speak. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a great man. He wants me to go there, and I will. Weโll figure that out,โ Trump said, suggesting he might visit India next year. When asked about specific travel plans, he replied, โIt could be.โ
White House stresses strong India-US partnership
Earlier this week, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reaffirmed the administrationโs commitment to strengthening the India-US relationship, calling it a partnership the President โfeels very strongly about.โ
โThe President is positive and feels very strongly about the India-US relationship. A few weeks ago, he spoke to Prime Minister Modi directly while celebrating Diwali in the Oval Office with senior Indian-American officials,โ Leavitt said.
Similar remarks at APEC Summit
Trumpโs claim on Thursday echoed remarks he made at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in South Korea last week, where he stated that he had โthreatened India and Pakistan with tariffsโ to prevent a potential nuclear war.
India dismisses Trump’s version
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi swiftly rejected Trumpโs version of events, asserting that the ceasefire was achieved through existing military channels between the Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs) of the two nations. โIndiaโs position remains unchanged- all issues with Pakistan are to be resolved bilaterally, without any third-party involvement,โ the MEA reiterated.