Trump Warns US Envoy to India: “You Better Represent Us, Not Them"

US President Donald Trump reiterated his self-proclaimed role in preventing a nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan, attributing the de-escalation to aggressive tariff threats during a White House press briefing on Wednesday. Dubbed "The Peace President" by supporters, Trump boasted of halting eight wars since assuming office in January, dismissing his exclusion from the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize as inconsequential compared to saving "hundreds of millions of lives". The remarks, delivered amid ongoing global tensions, come days after a Gaza ceasefire he claims as his eighth triumph and follow a brief but intense India-Pakistan skirmish earlier this year. Speaking aboard Air Force One last Sunday en route to the Middle East, Trump hinted at tackling a ninth potential flare-up between Pakistan and Afghanistan, underscoring his administration's focus on economic leverage in diplomacy.

Trump detailed his intervention in the May 2025 India-Pakistan crisis, triggered by the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir that killed 26 civilians, mostly tourists. India responded with Operation Sindoor on May 7, launching missile and airstrikes on nine alleged terrorist sites linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba in Pakistan-administered Azad Kashmir and Punjab province, marking the most significant cross-border action since 1971. The operation escalated into a five-day exchange of fire, with Pakistan retaliating and both sides reporting aircraft losses—seven planes downed in total, per Trump's account—raising fears of nuclear escalation between the two atomic powers.

Trump claimed he phoned Prime Minister Narendra Modi and counterpart Shehbaz Sharif, warning of 200% tariffs on their exports to the US unless hostilities ceased. "I said, we're not going to do a trade deal unless they stop the war... They are two nuclear nations," he recounted, adding that a follow-up call the next day confirmed de-escalation: "We have decided that we will not fight."

India has firmly rejected Trump's narrative, insisting the ceasefire resulted from direct military-to-military talks between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of both armies, without third-party mediation. New Delhi views Operation Sindoor as a calibrated response to terrorism, not a full-scale war, and credits its own strategic restraint for averting broader conflict.

Pakistan, however, has praised Trump's efforts, with Sharif publicly crediting him for preventing a "nuclear war" during a Sharm el-Sheikh summit on Gaza this week, where the Pakistani leader echoed Trump's life-saving assertions to assembled world figures. Trump's tariff strategy, he argued, has enriched the US with "hundreds of billions" in revenue while fostering a "kind nation" that wields trade as a "magic wand" for peace, directly resolving five or six of the eight conflicts he cited, including Gaza, Iran-Israel exchanges, and longstanding African insurgencies.

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In a lighter but pointed aside during the briefing, Trump turned to US Ambassador-designate to India Sergio Gor, a long-time aide and former White House personnel chief nominated in August and confirmed by the Senate last month. Gor, arriving in New Delhi this week for preliminary talks amid US-India tariff frictions—including a recent doubling of duties on Indian exports tied to Russia's crude purchases—drew a jesting admonition: "You better represent us, not them... But Sergio is going to do a great job."

The comment highlights strains in bilateral ties, exacerbated by Trump's protectionist policies, even as Gore emphasised India as a "cornerstone" of US Indo-Pacific strategy during his confirmation hearing. As Trump eyes a potential Modi summit to ink a targeted trade pact, his blend of bravado and economic coercion continues to polarise allies and adversaries alike.

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