5 Jets Shot Down in India-Pak Hostilities, Claims Trump

His remarks sparked a domestic political row between the ruling BJP and the main Opposition Congress. Responding to the statement, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi clarify the situation regarding the alleged downing of five aircraft and asserted that “the country deserves to know the truth.”

Speaking at the White House during a dinner with Republican senators on Friday, President Trump was quoted as saying:

“You had India and Pakistan, that was going... In fact, planes were being shot out of the air—four or five. But I think five jets were shot down actually... That was getting worse and worse, wasn't it? That was looking like it was going to go. These are two serious nuclear countries, and they were hitting each other.”

He added: “But India and Pakistan were going at it, and it was getting bigger and bigger. And we got it solved through trade. We said, ‘You guys want to make a trade deal? We’re not making a trade deal if you’re going to be throwing around weapons and maybe nuclear weapons.’ Both are very powerful nuclear states.”

President Trump also claimed that his administration had achieved more in six months than most others had in eight years. “Something I'm very proud of, we stopped a lot of wars. And these were serious wars,” he said.

Despite repeated denials from New Delhi, President Trump has persistently claimed over the past two and a half months that his administration “stopped a nuclear war” between India and Pakistan.

It is noteworthy that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during a phone call initiated by President Trump last month, had set the record straight, stating that at no stage during Operation Sindoor did India engage with the US on trade or seek American mediation. The call was reportedly taken from the sidelines of the G7 Outreach Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada.

Modi had clarified that India responded with a “jaw-breaking” strike on Pakistani terrorist infrastructure, rendering its airfields inoperable. Only then did Pakistan approach India, via the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO), to request a halt to further military action, leading to de-escalation. Modi also reiterated India’s consistent position of not accepting third-party mediation in its dealings with Pakistan, a stance that has enjoyed bipartisan support domestically.

Meanwhile, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh reacted sharply, saying, “Just two days before the Monsoon Session of Parliament begins, the Trump missile gets fired for the 24th time. The sensational new revelation is that five jets may have been downed.” He added, “The Prime Minister, who enjoyed a close relationship with President Trump—evident from 'Howdy Modi' in 2019 and 'Namaste Trump' in 2020—must now make a clear and categorical statement in Parliament.”

Congress MP Manickam Tagore also joined in, stating on X (formerly Twitter):

“Trump boasts about preventing a nuclear conflict using 'trade pressure'. Pakistan applauds him. They’ve even proposed a Nobel Prize. So what really happened? And why is Modi in ‘Maun Viraat’ (silent) mode?”

He continued, “If five fighter jets were really shot down, the nation deserves to know: Who authorised retaliation? What role did the U.S. play? Did India succumb to foreign pressure?” Tagore added that silence cannot be the government's official response.

Responding again on X, Amit Malviya said, “Rahul Gandhi’s mentality is that of a traitor. In his statement, Trump neither took India’s name nor said those five planes belonged to India. So why did the Congress prince assume they did? Why not assume they belonged to Pakistan? Does he sympathize more with Pakistan than India?”

Malviya concluded, “The truth is that Pakistan has still not recovered from Operation Sindoor, but Rahul Gandhi is in pain! Whenever the Indian Army gives the enemy a fitting reply, Congress seems disturbed. Anti-India sentiment is no longer a habit for Congress—it has become its identity.”