WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump stated that he had stopped multiple global conflicts during his presidency, claiming to have prevented “eight wars in eight months,” as he spoke at a Ballroom Dinner event on Wednesday. “I don’t think any President has stopped one war. I stopped eight wars in eight months,” Trump said, referring to his efforts to de-escalate international crises during his tenure.
He once again claimed that he played a key role in helping de-escalate tensions between India and Pakistan, highlighting how trade and tariffs have been instrumental for the US in preventing global conflicts.
“We’re doing really well in trade. We’re taking in hundreds of billions of dollars in tariffs. The tariffs are making this country so rich, and they’re making it powerful,” Trump said, describing tariffs as a key factor in strengthening the United States and promoting peace through economic leverage.
Trump: As an example if you look at Pakistan and Iran, I was in the midst of negotiating a trade deal with Iran and Pakistan
I heard they are shooting at each other. Two nuclear powers. I said here’s the deal: You go to war and I’m going to put a 200% tariff and stop you from… pic.twitter.com/Ow4l7JnEpC
— Acyn (@Acyn) October 15, 2025
He recalled how tensions between India and Pakistan had escalated dangerously. “We stopped a lot of these wars using trade. We had, as an example, India and Pakistan going at it really hard. Seven planes were shot down,” Trump said, referring to the confrontation between the two nuclear-armed nations.
“It was going to happen, bad things were happening. And I was talking to both of them about trade,” Trump continued. “And I said, how are we going to do this? They said, ‘Sir, we’re doing very well by trade’. I said, ‘Well, we’re not going to do well. We’re not going to do a trade deal unless they stop the war.'”
Trump recounted how he personally intervened to de-escalate the situation by leveraging trade pressure. “And I got them on the call. And I said, ‘Listen, we’re going to put a 200 per cent tariff on your country for any product you’re selling to the United States unless you stop this war. Because I’m not going to be a party to it,'” he said.
He added that both sides expressed concern over his tariff threat. “We have two nuclear nations, by the way. ‘No, no, no, you can’t do that.’ I said, ‘I can’t do that? Very easily, I can.’ We’re not going to have to lose millions of people from the planet. And frankly, that dust can go over here too,” Trump remarked, underscoring the catastrophic consequences of any nuclear escalation.
Emphasising the destructive potential of nuclear war, he said, “It affects everything. It’s a powerful, powerful weapon, too powerful. So powerful you don’t want to talk about it”. Standing firm on his position, Trump said he made clear that continued hostilities would have economic consequences. “So they said, ‘No, no.’ I said, ‘Yes, yes. It needs to stop. If you’re going to go and do it, we’re cutting off all negotiations. There’ll be no trade with the United States of America,'” he said.
According to Trump, both nations eventually backed down. “Both nations spoke to a vote. I like both the leaders. I like them both,” he said. “Why? Well, I said, that’s the way it is. And the next thing, we have decided to de-escalate.”
He recalled that both countries agreed to step back from confrontation. “I said, ‘I hope you won’t, but I shouldn’t.’ ‘We have decided that we will not fight.’ I said, ‘Have you come to a conclusion?’ ‘Yes, we’re not going to do any more. Let’s stop. Let’s stop.’ Just like that,” Trump said.
Reflecting on the outcome, Trump claimed the intervention prevented a catastrophic conflict. “This could have been a nuclear war, probably. It would have been.”
He concluded by emphasising that trade was a crucial factor in preventing wars and maintaining stability. “And part of the reason we did it was trade. I think of the eight, I would say five were because of trade. You know, the power of trade, the power of tariffs,” he said.
“The tariffs have made us a very common nation because a lot of people aren’t dying. I use it for purposes of stopping wars. I love stopping wars,” Trump added.
However, India has consistently refuted the claims made by the US President, reiterating its long-standing position that any issues with Pakistan, including those related to Jammu and Kashmir, are to be resolved bilaterally between the two countries.
He suggested that his contributions toward global peace had not received due recognition. “Did I get a Nobel Prize? No,” he remarked, before adding that he expected a more positive reception in the future. “But I suspect that next year will be better,” he said.
Underscoring the impact of his actions, Trump said he valued the human cost of conflict above awards or recognition. “But you know what I care about? I saved maybe hundreds and millions of lives,” he added.
Trump’s comments echoed remarks he made earlier on Sunday (local time), when he reiterated that he had been instrumental in resolving several long-standing global conflicts. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on October 13 while travelling to the Middle East, he referred to the Gaza ceasefire as the eighth conflict he had successfully helped end.
“This will be my eighth war that I have solved, and I hear there is a war now going on between Pakistan and Afghanistan. I said, I’ll have to wait till I get back. I am doing another one. Because I am good at solving wars,” Trump had said.
He reflected on his previous diplomatic interventions, including his claim of de-escalating tensions between India and Pakistan. “Think about India, Pakistan. Think about some of the wars that were going on for years. We had one going for 31, one going for 32, one going for 37 years, with millions of people being killed in every country and I got every one of those done, for the most part, within a day. It’s pretty good,” he remarked.
Trump said it had been an “honour” to have played a role in saving lives through his peace initiatives, adding that his efforts were not driven by recognition or awards. “It’s an honour to do it. I saved millions of lives… I did not do this for the Nobel. I did this for saving lives,” he said.
His remarks also came amid renewed discussion over the Nobel Peace Prize, following comments he made on October 11 after Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was announced as the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Trump claimed that Machado had personally reached out to him and dedicated the award in his honour.
“The person who got the Nobel Prize called me today and said, ‘I am accepting this in honour of you because you really deserved it’… I didn’t say, ‘Give it to me,’ though. I think she might have… I’ve been helping her along the way,” he said.
Machado was recognised for her efforts to promote democratic rights and lead Venezuela’s peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.
In connection with his comments on peace efforts, Trump linked his record to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, reiterating that he had ended several wars through diplomacy. “I stopped seven wars. That’s one war, and that’s a big one,” he said, listing conflicts he claimed to have resolved, including “Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kosovo and Serbia, Israel and Iran, Egypt and Ethiopia, Rwanda and the Congo.”
Expressing support for Trump’s peace initiatives, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote in a post on X, “Give @realDonaldTrump the Nobel Peace Prize — he deserves it!” (ANI)
