Continuing his commentary on the brief military clash between Pakistan and India earlier this year, US President Donald Trump claimed that eight planes were “essentially” shot down during the conflict. Speaking at the American Business Forum in Miami on Wednesday, Trump described the escalation as part of his broader narrative of intervening in global conflicts. “In eight months I ended eight wars, including Kosovo and Serbia, the Congo and Rwanda … Pakistan and India,” he said, adding that he learned about the potential war through a newspaper report. He stated, “Eight planes, seven planes were shot down — an eighth was really badly wounded. But eight planes were shot down essentially.”
Trump reiterated that he threatened to halt trade deals with both countries unless they agreed to peace. “I’m not trading with you; we are not making any deals with you if you are at war with each other,” he said. According to Trump, a day after his intervention, both sides agreed to a ceasefire, allowing trade negotiations to resume. “A day later, I get a call, ‘We made peace’. They stopped. I said, ‘Thank you, let’s trade’. Isn’t that great? Tariffs did that. Without tariffs that would have never happened,” he claimed.
This is not the first time Trump has commented on the incident; he previously stated that five to seven planes were shot down during the May conflict, praising Pakistan’s leadership, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, whom he met in Washington in September. Last month, he asserted that seven “brand-new, beautiful planes were shot down” during the brief military escalation.
India has disputed Trump’s account, rejecting claims that the ceasefire resulted from his intervention or threats regarding trade talks. The May conflict, triggered by an attack on Hindu tourists in occupied Kashmir, saw both nations exchanging airstrikes, artillery fire, and drone attacks over four days, resulting in dozens of casualties. Pakistan reported shooting down six Indian fighter jets, including Rafales, while India acknowledged “some losses” but denied losing six jets. In September, PM Shehbaz stated at the United Nations General Assembly that the Pakistan Air Force had destroyed “seven of the Indian jets.” Trump has repeatedly referenced these figures, framing the conflict as one he helped de-escalate.
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