US President Donald Trump doubled down on his assertion Monday that he personally stopped a potential nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan during their May standoff, claiming eight aircraft were shot down and crediting his trade threats for saving millions of lives. The remarks came during a White House press interaction, where Trump described phoning Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif after India's Operation Sindoor strikes, warning that continued fighting would end US trade deals. He tied it to his broader tally of resolving "eight wars" since taking office in January, noting Pakistan's leader later thanked him for preventing catastrophe.

This latest iteration revives a narrative Trump has pushed over 60 times since May 10, when he first posted on Truth Social about a US-mediated "full and immediate ceasefire" after a "long night of talks." The trigger was the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Kashmir, killing 26 civilians and prompting India's missile response on nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May 7.

Pakistan retaliated with drones and missiles by May 10, but a ceasefire held that evening through direct military hotline talks between the two nations' Directors General of Military Operations—channels Pakistan initiated, per New Delhi. No nuclear weapons surfaced, though the four-day clash introduced drone warfare between these atomic powers, spiking global fears.

India has rejected Trump's version from day one. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar told Parliament no such calls happened during the crisis, no trade links were raised, and the de-escalation was purely bilateral with zero US mediation or Kashmir discussions. The government issued a detailed six-point rebuttal, and at the UN, it warned against third-party interference in its affairs.

Trump's persistence highlights his dealmaker style, leveraging tariffs—sometimes exaggerated as 200% or 350%—to claim influence in South Asia amid ongoing US trade negotiations with both countries. Yet it strains ties with India, which flexed strategic autonomy via S-400 defenses during Sindoor and hosted no mediation talks. As Trump hosts figures like Pakistan's army chief and eyes deeper pacts, analysts see this as US rebalancing in a volatile neighborhood. The episode reminds how quickly terror can escalate nuclear risks, but established hotlines proved resilient—no outside savior required.