President Donald Trump today again stood by his contentious remark that the prospect of huge tariffs, not traditional diplomacy, was the main reason the recent dispute between India and Pakistan ended.
On Sunday, as he was leaving for the Middle East to oversee the release of prisoners from Gaza, the President told reporters that he had also mediated a deal between Israel and Hamas.
The Tariffs-for-Peace Argument
President Trump said that tariffs are important not only for making money, but also for giving the US more power in the world. “Tariffs have made us stronger in negotiations and diplomacy.” Trump said, “I ended a few wars just because of tariffs.”
He then went into detail about what he said he did to help the two nuclear-armed neighbors:
“For instance, between India and Pakistan. I told them, “If you two want to fight a war and you have nuclear weapons, I’m going to charge you both a lot of money, like 100%, 150%, and 200%.” I got that item taken care of in a day. “You could never have ended that war if I didn’t have tariffs.”
Since the ceasefire was proclaimed earlier this year, the President has brought up this claim many times, using it as an example of how he handles foreign affairs in a different way.
India Strongly Says No to Mediation
India has frequently and clearly rejected the claim that the US should mediate. New Delhi has always said that the end of hostilities was only possible through direct discussions between the Indian and Pakistani forces. India’s position shows that it has always been against third-party involvement in its dealings with Pakistan.
Looking at Afghanistan and Pakistan
The US President said he is sure he can settle international conflicts. He also said that when he gets back, he will be looking at the growing tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
“This will be my eighth war that I’ve solved,” Trump claimed. “I hear there’s a war going on right now between Pakistan and Afghanistan.” “Wait until I get back,” I said. I’m doing another one. “Because I’m good at ending wars.”
Nobel Dreams and Efforts to Save Lives
Trump talked about his diplomatic work, but he also talked about how upset he was when Maria Corina Machado, the head of the Venezuelan opposition, won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday.
Trump said again that his efforts for peace were not for recognition, even though he didn’t win the 2024 award. “I’m honored to do it.” “I saved millions of lives,” he remarked, and then he said that his accomplishments in 2025 were so great that the Nobel Committee should make an exception for him. “But I didn’t do this to win the Nobel. He ended with, “I did this to save lives.”