Trump Mocks Modi, “Seven Beautiful Planes” Lost in Pakistan Clash

US President Donald Trump delivered a sharp dig at the Modi government. He highlighted the loss of “seven brand-new, beautiful planes” in a military clash with Pakistan as a major embarrassment.

Trump boasted of his personal role in brokering the subsequent ceasefire. He claimed he single-handedly averted a potential nuclear confrontation by leveraging trade deals with both nations.

The comments were made during a dinner with business leaders in Japan. There, Trump frequently reflected on his foreign policy record. “If you look at India and Pakistan, they were going at it,” he said. “Seven brand-new, beautiful planes were shot down.”

He then detailed his high-pressure diplomacy, claiming, “I said to [Indian] Prime Minister Modi and I said to the Prime Minister [Shehbaz Sharif]… ‘look we’re not going to do any trade if you’re going to be fighting’.” Trump asserted that this ultimatum brought the conflict to an end “within 24 hours,” calling the outcome “amazing.”

“Seven brand new beautiful planes were shot down during the Pakistan-India clash.” – US President Donald Trump pic.twitter.com/Z0Mp9K3wGS

— Pakistan Strategic Forum (@ForumStrategic) October 28, 2025

This is not the first time Trump has taken credit for de-escalating tensions between the two nuclear-armed rivals. Speaking at a Diwali celebration at the White House on October 22, he also noted, “Although we did talk a little while ago about let’s have no wars with Pakistan.” He concluded by praising Modi as “a great person” and “a great friend,” even as he used the incident to underscore his own diplomatic prowess.

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The remarks address the severe military standoff in May 2024, sparked by a terrorist attack in Indian-Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIO). The confrontation saw Pakistan’s Armed Forces launch Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos. During this operation, they reported downing six Indian Air Force fighter jets and dozens of drones. The conflict culminated in a ceasefire after approximately 87 hours.