'If you look at India and Pakistan...': Trump says tariffs stopped war, calls US 'peacekeeper'
Trump has repeatedly described the May India-Pakistan standoff as one step from nuclear war, claiming his threat to impose extreme tariffs forced both countries to stand down.
- Oct 7, 2025,
- Updated Oct 7, 2025 7:27 AM IST
Donald Trump told the White House this week that his tariff threats didn’t just boost U.S. revenue—they stopped wars. Repeating a claim he has made over 40 times since May, the former president said his trade tactics prevented a nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan.
“If I didn't have the power of tariffs, you would have at least four of the seven wars raging,” Trump said in a video posted by the White House on YouTube. “If you look at India and Pakistan, they were ready to go at it. Seven planes were shot down… I don't want to say exactly what I said, but what I said was very effective… Not only did we make hundreds of billions of dollars, but we're a peacekeeper because of tariffs.”
Trump has repeatedly described the May India-Pakistan standoff as one step from nuclear war, claiming his threat to impose extreme tariffs forced both countries to stand down. He said he told Prime Minister Narendra Modi: “I don’t want to make a trade deal with you… You guys are going to end up in a nuclear war… or we’re going to put tariffs on you that are so high, your head’s going to spin.”
According to Trump, a ceasefire followed within five hours.
India has firmly denied this version of events. New Delhi maintains that the ceasefire was negotiated directly between Indian and Pakistani military commanders through the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs), without any foreign mediation. Prime Minister Modi has stated in Parliament that no international leader influenced the decision to halt operations during Operation Sindoor.
Indian officials also dismissed Trump’s framing of Indo-Pak tensions as centuries old, clarifying that the two countries have only existed as independent states since 1947.
Donald Trump told the White House this week that his tariff threats didn’t just boost U.S. revenue—they stopped wars. Repeating a claim he has made over 40 times since May, the former president said his trade tactics prevented a nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan.
“If I didn't have the power of tariffs, you would have at least four of the seven wars raging,” Trump said in a video posted by the White House on YouTube. “If you look at India and Pakistan, they were ready to go at it. Seven planes were shot down… I don't want to say exactly what I said, but what I said was very effective… Not only did we make hundreds of billions of dollars, but we're a peacekeeper because of tariffs.”
Trump has repeatedly described the May India-Pakistan standoff as one step from nuclear war, claiming his threat to impose extreme tariffs forced both countries to stand down. He said he told Prime Minister Narendra Modi: “I don’t want to make a trade deal with you… You guys are going to end up in a nuclear war… or we’re going to put tariffs on you that are so high, your head’s going to spin.”
According to Trump, a ceasefire followed within five hours.
India has firmly denied this version of events. New Delhi maintains that the ceasefire was negotiated directly between Indian and Pakistani military commanders through the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs), without any foreign mediation. Prime Minister Modi has stated in Parliament that no international leader influenced the decision to halt operations during Operation Sindoor.
Indian officials also dismissed Trump’s framing of Indo-Pak tensions as centuries old, clarifying that the two countries have only existed as independent states since 1947.