Trump Says a 250% Tariff Threat Stopped India-Pakistan Fighting. India Still Says Otherwise

If it feels like you’ve heard this one before, you have. At a campaign rally in Florida, US President Donald Trump once again said he stopped India and Pakistan from going to war, this time by threatening both with a 250% tariff.

His version goes like this: he told the two nuclear-armed neighbours they could forget about trading with the United States if they kept fighting. He added that eleven planes were shot down and said, “I’ve settled eight wars.” Then came a familiar grievance. Trump complained that the world hasn’t rewarded him for it, a reference to the Nobel Peace Prize he didn’t win.

India’s answer hasn’t changed

New Delhi has never accepted this account. Its position is that the ceasefire came through direct contact between the two countries’ Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs), after Pakistan reached out. It also says that issues with Pakistan are bilateral and leave no room for outside mediation. India disputes the aircraft figure too.

A quick recap

The crisis began with the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 civilians. India responded on May 7 with Operation Sindoor, striking terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Hostilities paused on May 10.

The numbers keep moving

The 250% figure isn’t new, and it isn’t fixed. Trump has cited 200% on other occasions and, last November, 350%. By ANI’s count, he had claimed credit for the India-Pakistan ceasefire more than 80 times by this spring. The rally was just the latest in that long run.

Why it matters

For Indian readers, this isn’t just trivia. Each repetition revives the question of how the ceasefire happened, and India’s answer is the same every time: bilateral channels, no mediator. Expect both sides of this exchange to keep repeating themselves.

 

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