Washington, DC: US President Donald Trump again repeated his long-standing claim that he played a central role in helping ease the conflict between India and Pakistan. He made the remarks during his meeting with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani at the White House on Friday.
Mamdani travelled to Washington for his first formal interaction with the president after his election victory, and the discussion took place in the Oval Office, where Trump called the meeting "great" and said he "enjoyed" speaking with him.
As the two leaders stood together, Trump once again referred to the May standoff between India and Pakistan, saying, "I did eight peace deals of countries, including India and Pakistan," reiterating his position that his administration was instrumental in bringing the situation under control.
His remarks were in line with similar statements he has made throughout the week. On Wednesday, he claimed he threatened both India and Pakistan with 350 per cent tariffs if they did not halt hostilities, insisting he played a decisive role in ending the confrontation between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
Trump has further maintained that Prime Minister Narendra Modi told him "we're not going to go to war," a point he has repeatedly highlighted. Since May 10, when he wrote on social media that India and Pakistan had agreed to a "full and immediate" ceasefire after a "long night" of discussions facilitated by Washington, he has stated more than 60 times that he "helped settle" the tensions.
India, however, has consistently rejected suggestions of any third-party mediation. New Delhi launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam attack in which 26 civilians were killed in the name of religion. After four days of heavy drone and missile exchanges, both sides reached an understanding on May 10 to end the hostilities.
Mamdani's appearance at the White House came soon after his landmark victory as Mayor of New York City, which made him the first South Asian and first Muslim to lead the largest city in the United States. Widely viewed as the favourite throughout the campaign, he defeated Republican Curtis Sliwa and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who mounted an independent run and received a last-minute endorsement from Trump hours..
Mamdani, of Indian heritage, is the son of filmmaker Mira Nair and Columbia University professor Mahmood Mamdani. Born in Kampala, Uganda, he moved to New York at the age of seven and became a naturalised US citizen in 2018.
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