Trump's Audacious Claim: Tariffs Averted India-Pakistan Nuclear War, Citing Seven Downed Planes

Former US President Donald Trump has once again stepped into the spotlight with a remarkable assertion, claiming that his direct intervention, specifically through the threat of crippling tariffs, single-handedly prevented a potentially devastating nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan in 2019.

Speaking at a rally in Wisconsin, Trump reiterated his long-standing narrative, which has garnered both scrutiny and fascination since he first articulated it.

During his address, Trump recounted the tense period following the Balakot airstrikes in February 2019, when tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours reached a perilous peak.

“I called them both, and I said, ‘Look, you’re going to have a big problem, and I’m going to have a big problem because I’m going to hit you with tariffs like you’ve never seen before,’” Trump stated, detailing his alleged phone calls to the leaders of India and Pakistan.

According to Trump, his tough stance and the threat of severe economic penalties compelled both nations to step back from the brink.

He vividly described the scenario, saying, “They were going at it, and they were ready to go at it, and it was going to be a nuclear war, and it was going to be a devastating war. They were hitting each other like crazy. Seven planes were shot down.”

This particular claim regarding seven downed planes adds a specific, albeit unverified, detail to his narrative.

While the 2019 aerial skirmishes did see an Indian MiG-21 Bison shot down and its pilot captured by Pakistan, and India claiming to have shot down a Pakistani F-16 (which Pakistan denies), the figure of seven downed planes attributed to that direct confrontation has not been widely corroborated by independent sources or official statements from either country.

Trump first made these extraordinary claims in August 2019, just months after the Balakot incident, suggesting that his administration played a crucial role in de-escalating the crisis.

He has consistently maintained that his economic pressure was the decisive factor in averting a full-scale war, a claim that stands in contrast to the diplomatic efforts made by various international actors at the time. His repeated assertions serve to reinforce his image as a decisive leader capable of resolving complex international disputes through unconventional means.