US President Donald Trump has once again claimed that he stopped the India-Pakistan conflict by threatening tariffs on both countries, only this time, the percentage of tariffs was different.
Trump also claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi called him to say “we’re not going to go to war.” This is only the latest episode of the US president’s unfounded claims, which have been consistently rejected by New Delhi.
“…I’m good at settling disputes, and I’ve always been. I’ve done very well with that over the years, even before this. I was talking about the different wars… India, Pakistan… they were going to go at it, nuclear weapons,” Trump said on Wednesday.
Speaking at the US-Saudi Investment Forum attended by visiting Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman, Trump said that he told the two nuclear-armed neighbours that they “can go at it, but I’m putting a 350 per cent tariff on each country. No more trade with the United States.”
Claiming that both India and Pakistan urged him not to impose tariffs, Trump said that he told them, “I’m going to do it. Come back to me and I’ll take it down. But I’m not going to have you guys shooting nuclear weapons at each other, killing millions of people and having the nuclear dust floating over Los Angeles. I’m not going to do it’.”
Trump then said that he was “all set” and told Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that he would put a 350 per cent tariff to settle the conflict.
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View All“Now, no other president would have done that… I used tariffs to settle all these wars, not all of them. Five of the eight were settled because of the economy, because of trade, because of tariffs,” Trump said. “I did this.” He added that Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called him and thanked him, in front of White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, for saving millions of lives.
The president then claimed that he “got a call from Prime Minister Modi saying, ‘we’re done’. I said, ‘you’re done with what?’” Trump said and claimed Modi replied: “We’re not going to go to war.” Trump said he then thanked Modi and said, “Let’s make a deal.”
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