Trump Revises Claim to Eight Jets Downed in India-Pakistan Conflict, Again Cites His Role in Ceasefire

US President Donald Trump has once again revisited the India-Pakistan conflict that unfolded in early May, this time offering yet another revised tally of aircraft he claims were shot down during the three days of hostilities. Speaking at the America Business Forum in Miami, Trump asserted that eight jets were “essentially” downed as India and Pakistan exchanged fire during Operation Sindoor.

The President framed the episode as a dramatic moment in which he, in his telling, stepped in to prevent two nuclear-armed neighbours from escalating into a wider conflict. He told the audience he was simultaneously negotiating trade agreements with both countries when he “read on the front page” that India and Pakistan were close to war.

According to Trump, “Seven planes were shot down, and the eighth was really badly wounded… Eight planes were shot down, essentially.” The figure marks the latest in a series of shifting claims that he has repeated more than 60 times in public appearances since the clashes. In previous versions of the story, Trump has cited numbers ranging from five to seven jets, rarely clarifying whether the aircraft belonged to India or Pakistan.

India has acknowledged some losses but has consistently maintained that Pakistan suffered more significant damage, including the destruction of several US-made F-16s and Chinese-origin JF-17s on the ground and in aerial engagements. Pakistan, however, has rejected India’s version of events, leading to a familiar information standoff between the two rivals.

Trump also reiterated his now-frequent assertion that his personal intervention prevented a potential nuclear showdown. He repeated that he threatened to block trade deals unless both nations agreed to halt hostilities. According to his account, neither side initially accepted the demand. But within 24 hours, he said, India and Pakistan informed him they had agreed to a ceasefire.

India has consistently rejected the idea that outside mediation secured the ceasefire, insisting that the decision came through direct military and diplomatic communication between New Delhi and Islamabad. Pakistan, meanwhile, has been more willing to publicly credit Trump’s involvement, a stance analysts say reflects Islamabad’s interest in staying aligned with Washington during periods of tension.

For Trump, the episode has increasingly become a talking point used to highlight his self-styled approach to global crises — one that blends economic threats with improvised diplomatic pressure. His repeated retellings, however, have raised questions about the accuracy of the details, especially as the number of jets “shot down” continues to shift.

What remains unchanged is the conflict’s significance: a reminder of how rapidly Indo-Pak tensions can escalate, and how narratives around such confrontations often become part of larger geopolitical storytelling.