Donald Trump has a new number for aircrafts shot down during Operation Sindoor

Donald Trump’s obsession with the India–Pakistan conflict appears to have no landing point. The former US President has once again taken flight with a fresh version of his favourite tale — one that mixes diplomacy, self-congratulation, and a few creative statistics.

At the America Business Forum in Miami, Trump claimed that his pressure on India and Pakistan — via trade threats — prevented a full-blown war between the nuclear neighbours. This time, though, he offered a revised scoreboard.

“Seven planes were shot down, and the eighth was really badly wounded... Eight planes were shot down, essentially,” Trump told the audience, speaking of what he called Operation Sindoor, a three-day exchange that took place between May 7 and 10.

Trump said he had been in the middle of trade negotiations with both countries when he saw headlines warning of imminent war. According to him, that’s when he stepped in as the ultimate dealmaker.

Over the past few months, Trump has told this story more than 60 times, often tweaking the numbers and outcomes as if the conflict were part of a campaign pitch. The number of aircraft downed has climbed from five, to seven, and now to eight — with one “injured.”

At an October event in Tokyo, Trump said, “If you look at India and Pakistan, they were going at it. Seven brand-new, beautiful planes were shot down.”

India, for its part, has acknowledged that it lost some assets during the hostilities. However, officials maintain that 8–10 Pakistani fighter jets, including F-16s and JF-17s, were destroyed both in aerial combat and on the ground.

Once again, Trump insisted that his intervention — and his tariffs — prevented “a nuclear war.”

“I said, this is war, and they are going at it. And they are two nuclear nations. I said, ‘I am not going to make any trade deals with you guys unless you agree to peace,’” Trump said.

He recounted that both sides initially refused. “The two nations said ‘no way’. I said, ‘You are nuclear powers. I am not trading with you. We are not making any deals with you if you are at war with each other’,” he added.

Trump claimed that just 24 hours later, he received calls from both capitals announcing a ceasefire. “I said, ‘Thank you. Let’s do trade’. Isn’t that great? Tariffs did that. Without tariffs, that would have never happened,” he said, drawing applause from the crowd.

For Trump, every microphone is a marketplace. And whether it’s a business forum or a campaign rally, there’s always a story — and a new number — to sell.