Trump says he stopped 8 wars in 8 months, credits 'tariff power' for India-Pakistan peace

Dubbed by his supporters as “The Peace President,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Wednesday that he had “stopped eight wars in eight months” since taking office in January.

“I don’t think any president has stopped even one war. I stopped eight wars in eight months. Did I get a Nobel Prize? No. But I care about saving hundreds of millions of lives,” Trump said.

He said his administration had used trade tariffs as a diplomatic tool to prevent conflicts, including the recent escalation between India and Pakistan.

“India and Pakistan were going at it really hard; seven planes were shot down. I told both of them we won’t do a trade deal unless they stop the war. I even threatened a 200% tariff,” Trump said, claiming that the next day both countries agreed to de-escalate.

He added that the US, under his leadership, was becoming “a rich and kind nation” that uses tariffs “for the purpose of stopping wars.”

Trump’s response to Sharif’s praise

The President also responded to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s remarks at a peace summit in Egypt earlier this week.

Sharif had credited Trump with ending multiple global conflicts, including the Gaza war, and preventing a “nuclear confrontation” between India and Pakistan after India’s Operation Sindoor, its retaliation for the April 22 terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam.

“He said the President saved millions of lives. I think he was referring to the fact that it would have been a nuclear war with India. That was getting very close,” Trump said.

India, however, has maintained that the ceasefire understanding with Pakistan was reached following direct talks between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of both militaries, not through US intervention.

New US envoy to India

During his remarks, Trump also introduced Sergio Gor as the new US Ambassador-designate to India.

“You better represent us, not them,” Trump quipped, before adding, “Sergio’s going to do a great job.”

This comes when India has categorically rejected Trump's claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised him to stop buying oil from Russia, stating no telephonic conversation was held between the two global leaders.

In a weekly press briefing, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "On the question of whether there was a conversation or a telephone call between Prime Minister Modi and President Trump, I am not aware of any conversation yesterday between the two leaders."