US President Donald Trump has said that eight planes were downed in the May 2025 clash between nuclear-armed Pakistan and India.

In an interview with a private TV channel, President Trump said some newspapers had reported that seven or eight planes were shot down during the Pakistan-India war.

He added that one newspaper claimed seven aircraft were downed and another damaged.

“I won’t name any newspaper here — most of them publish false news,” Trump said, adding that, in fact, eight planes were shot down in the recent Pakistan-India war.

Last  month, the US president had said that “seven brand-new and beautiful planes were shot down” during the Pakistan-India war, highlighing the loss of new Delhi in the clashes.      

Trump had also boasted of his role in brokering the ceasefire, claiming he single-handedly averted a potential nuclear confrontation.

While addressing a dinner with business leaders in Japan, Trump had said many of the wars he halted were due to the tariffs he imposed on multiple countries, claiming he did “a great service to the world”.

“If you look at India and Pakistan, they were going at it,” he had said.

“I said to [Indian] Prime Minister Modi and I said to the Prime Minister [Shehbaz Sharif], very nice man, a very good man and the Field Marshal [Asim Munir] over in Pakistan … I said, ‘look we’re not going to do any trade if you’re going to be fighting’,” Trump had said.

“We said ‘no, we’re not doing any deals if you’re going to fight’ and within 24 hours that was the end of that. It was amazing, actually,” he had added. “I think trade is responsible for 70 per cent of the fact that we didn’t have wars.”

Speaking during a Diwali celebration at White House on October 22, Trump said he had told Indian PM Modi that there should be no war with Pakistan, stressing that he had helped avert several conflicts through diplomacy and trade pressure.

The US president had emphasised the outcome, saying, “And we have no war with Pakistan and India. That was a very, very good thing.” He concluded by praising Modi personally: “He’s a great person, and he’s become a great friend of mine over the years.”

The US president had claimed he had prevented eight wars so far through what he described as “deals and trade,” including one between Pakistan and India.

Trump has previously taken credit on several occasions for helping defuse tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, who have fought three wars since independence and remain at odds over the disputed territory of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

In May, Pakistan and Indian engaged in a military showdown, the worst between the old foes in decades, which was sparked by a terrorist attack on tourists in IIOJK’s Pahalgam area, which New Delhi said was backed by Pakistan.

Islamabad denied involvement in the Kashmir attack, which killed 26 men and was the worst assault on civilians in India since the Mumbai attacks in 2008.

After the incident, India killed several innocent civilians in unprovoked attacks on Pakistan for three days before the Pakistan Armed Forces retaliated in defence with the successful Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos.

Pakistan downed seven IAF fighter jets, including three Rafale, and dozens of drones. After at least 87 hours, the war between the two nuclear-armed nations ended on May 10 with a ceasefire agreement brokered by the US. 

• “We want New York to be successful,” says Trump.
• Trump says, “Let’s see how Mamdani does in New York.”
• Says US loses “sovereignty” after New Yorkers elect Mamdani.
  

MIAMI: US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that “we want New York to be successful” and he might offer US assistance to Zohran Mamdani, the democratic socialist who was elected as New York City’s mayor.

“We’ll help him, a little bit maybe,” Trump said at a speech in Miami a day after the election.

In a speech in Miami a day after Mamdani´s convincing victory, Trump said: “Let’s see how Mamdani does in New York.”

He further said that the US had lost “sovereignty” after New Yorkers elected leftist Mamdani as their next mayor.

“We’ll take care of it,” Trump said without explaining what he meant, while claiming the country’s largest city would become communist.

Trump added that the Florida city “will soon be the refuge for those fleeing communism in New York.”

“The decision facing all Americans could not be more clear: We have a choice between communism and common sense,” he said, also casting the choice as between an “economic nightmare” and an “economic miracle.”

The speech marked the first anniversary of Trump’s election victory against Democrat Kamala Harris.

“We rescued our economy, regained our liberty, and together we saved our country on that magnificent night 365 days ago,” Trump told his audience of supporters.

Mamdani’s mayoral race win came despite fierce attacks on his policies and Muslim heritage from business elites, conservative media commentators and Trump himself.

“If anyone can show a nation betrayed by Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him,” Mamdani said in a victory speech late Tuesday.

Mamdani’s win, as well as the Democratic Party’s other victories in the governor’s races in Virginia and New Jersey, suggested a shift in political mood as the country looks toward next year´s midterm elections, when control of Congress will be up for grabs.

In another significant win for Democrats, voters in California approved a proposition to redraw electoral districts in a bid to neutralise gerrymandering efforts ordered by Trump in other states.

Trump refused to take any blame for Tuesday’s results.

In a post on his Truth Social network, he cited anonymous “pollsters” suggesting the Republican defeats were due to the government shutdown and the fact that his own name wasn’t on the ballots.

The 34-year-old democratic socialist made history by becoming the first Muslim mayor of the largest US city, defeating Democratic former Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Earlier, Trump acknowledged that Democrats’ sweeping electoral gains signalled mounting trouble for Republicans, calling the results “not good” and linking the setbacks to the record-long federal government shutdown, now stretching into its sixth week.

Addressing GOP senators at a White House breakfast, Trump reflected on the outcome, saying it had not been a positive night for anyone.

The US president said: “We had an interesting evening, and we learned a lot, and we’re going to talk about that.”

He attributed the Republican setbacks partly to the prolonged government shutdown, citing pollsters who found it “a big factor, negative for the Republicans”. Trump added that some analysts viewed his absence from the ballot as the biggest factor.

Trump accused Democrats of being prepared to destroy the country as the government shutdown became the longest in history on Wednesday, eclipsing the 35-day record set during the Republican leader’s first term.

Mamdani to Trump: ‘Turn the volume up’

Mamdani wasted no time calling out President Trump, formally kicking off the battle that will likely define relations between the 34-year-old mayor and the president whose celebrity is tied to the city.

“Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, I have four words for you: turn the volume up!” Mamdani, a Democrat, said during a Tuesday night speech to a raucous crowd of supporters shortly after being declared the victor.

“If anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him,” Mamdani told supporters. “And if there is any way to terrify a despot, it is by dismantling the very conditions that allowed him to accumulate power. This is not only how we stop Trump, it’s how we stop the next one.”

• Trump says shutdown “a big factor” behind GOP setbacks.
• Longest govt shutdown enters sixth week amid political standoff.
• Airports, welfare programs face mounting strain amid shutdown.
  

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday acknowledged that Democrats’ sweeping electoral gains signalled mounting trouble for Republicans, calling the results “not good” and linking the setbacks to the record-long federal government shutdown, now stretching into its sixth week. 

His remarks came hours after Democratic candidates Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill scored commanding gubernatorial wins in Virginia and New Jersey, while Zohran Mamdani easily defeated Trump-backed Andrew Cuomo in the New York City mayoral race. 

In Virginia, Democrat Jay Jones also won the attorney general race, overcoming a scandal from 2022.

Trump made the statement while addressing GOP senators at a White House breakfast on Wednesday morning. Trump reflected on the outcome, saying it had not been a positive night for anyone.

The US president said: “We had an interesting evening, and we learned a lot, and we’re going to talk about that,” CNBC reported.

He attributed the Republican setbacks partly to the prolonged government shutdown, citing pollsters who found it “a big factor, negative for the Republicans”. Trump added that some analysts viewed his absence from the ballot as the biggest factor.

Trump accused Democrats of being prepared to destroy the country as the government shutdown became the longest in history on Wednesday, eclipsing the 35-day record set during the Republican leader’s first term.

Federal agencies have been grinding to a halt since Congress failed to approve funding past September 30, and the pain has been mounting as welfare programs — including aid that helps millions of Americans afford groceries — hang in the balance.

Some 1.4 million federal workers, from air traffic controllers to park wardens, remain on enforced leave or are working without pay. Some courts are using emergency funds to stay open, and warning that operations could slow if the shutdown drags on.

Hours before the shutdown record toppled at midnight, the Trump administration sounded the alarm over turmoil at airports nationwide if the crisis drags further into November, with worsening staff shortages snarling airports and closing down sections of airspace.

Thanksgiving air travel is expected to set a new record this year, the American Automobile Association (AAA) projected — with 5.8 million people set to fly domestically over the November 27 holiday.

More than 60,000 air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers are working without pay, and the White House has warned that increased absenteeism could mean chaos at check-in lines.

Airport workers calling in sick rather than working without pay — leading to significant delays — was a major factor in Trump bringing an end to the 2019 shutdown.

Both Democrats and Republicans remain unwavering, however, over the main sticking point in the current stoppage — health care spending.

‘Defiance’

Democrats say they will only provide votes to end the funding lapse after a deal has been struck to extend expiring insurance subsidies that make health care affordable for millions of Americans.

But Republicans insist they will only address health care once Democrats have voted to switch the lights back on in Washington.

While both sides’ leadership have shown little appetite for compromise, there have been signs of life on the back benches, with a handful of moderate Democrats working to find an escape hatch.

A separate bipartisan group of four centrist House members unveiled a compromise framework Monday for lowering health insurance costs.

Democrats believe that millions of Americans seeing skyrocketing premiums as they enroll in health insurance programs for next year will pressure Republicans into seeking compromise.

But Trump has held firm on refusing to negotiate, telling CBS News in an interview broadcast Sunday that he would “not be extorted.”

The president has sought to apply his own pressure to force Democrats to cave by threatening mass layoffs of federal workers and using the shutdown to target progressive priorities.

Trump on Tuesday repeated his administration’s threat to cut off a vital aid programme that helps 42 million Americans pay for groceries for the first time in its more than 60-year history, even though the move was blocked by two courts.

The White House later clarified, however, that it was “fully complying” with its legal obligations and was working to get partial SNAP payments “out the door as much as we can and as quickly as we can.”