Washington, DC— US President Donald Trump reiterated his long-standing assertion that he played a major role in easing the recent India-Pakistan confrontation. He made the remarks during a meeting with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani at the White House on Friday.
Mamdani, who travelled to Washington for his first official meeting after his election victory, met Trump in the Oval Office. The president described the interaction as “great” and said he “enjoyed” the conversation.
During their joint appearance, Trump referred again to the May standoff between India and Pakistan. “I did eight peace deals of countries, including India and Pakistan,” he said, repeating his claim that his administration helped defuse the situation.
His comments echoed several similar statements he made this week. On Wednesday, he claimed he had warned both nations of a 350 per cent tariff if they did not stop hostilities, insisting his intervention pushed the two nuclear-armed neighbours toward de-escalation.
Trump also maintained that Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured him that India was “not going to go to war,” a line he has frequently highlighted. Since May 10 — when he posted on social media that India and Pakistan had agreed to a “full and immediate” ceasefire after a “long night” of talks led by Washington — he has repeated more than 60 times that he “helped settle” the tensions.
India has consistently dismissed any suggestion of third-party mediation. New Delhi launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians. After four days of drone and missile exchanges, both nations reached an understanding on May 10 to halt the hostilities.
Mamdani’s visit to the White House comes shortly after his historic win as Mayor of New York City, making him the first South Asian and first Muslim to lead America’s largest city. He defeated Republican Curtis Sliwa and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who ran independently with a last-minute endorsement from Trump.
Born in Kampala, Uganda, Mamdani moved to New York at the age of seven and became a US citizen in 2018. He is the son of filmmaker Mira Nair and scholar Mahmood Mamdani.
