{"id":6097,"date":"2025-07-21T01:31:58","date_gmt":"2025-07-21T01:31:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/forefrontnews.cn\/?p=6097"},"modified":"2025-07-21T01:31:58","modified_gmt":"2025-07-21T01:31:58","slug":"trumps-boasts-modis-expense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/forefrontnews.cn\/?p=6097","title":{"rendered":"Trump\u2019s boasts, Modi\u2019s expense."},"content":{"rendered":"

On July 18, local time, President Trump unexpectedly launched into an impromptu speech at a Republican congressional dinner, boasting about his supposed role in mediating the India-Pakistan conflict.
\nHe vividly described the scene, using hand gestures to simulate the successive downing of fighter jets, claiming that “4 to 5 fighter jets were shot down” during the conflict.<\/p>\n

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In fact, Pakistan has already released conclusive evidence\u2014the wreckage of downed aircraft at the scene confirms that it shot down five Indian fighter jets (including three French Rafale fighter jets). While India claims to have also shot down several Pakistani fighter jets, it has yet to provide any supporting evidence.
\nTherefore, Trump\u2019s impromptu performance kept Indian Prime Minister Modi up all night in New Delhi.
\nAfter all, while the world, through Trump\u2019s \u2019big mouth\u2019, is once again convinced that five Indian Air Force jets were shot down, the Modi government continues to weave a dream of victory for its citizens with \u2019Indian mythology\u2019.<\/p>\n

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Why is Trump so fixated on the India-Pakistan conflict?<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s obsession with the Nobel Peace Prize is no secret. From the Russo-Ukrainian conflict to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, at the slightest provocation, he would jump in to claim that \u2019I prevented the war\u2019.
\nHowever, this time he has chosen the India-Pakistan conflict\u2014a matter in which India\u2019s \u2019achievements\u2019 simply do not stand up to scrutiny.
\nFurthermore, to boast of his supposed achievements, Trump conflated the claims by both India and Pakistan of shooting down each other\u2019s aircraft (the veracity of India\u2019s claims is, of course, questionable), adding a sensational plotline about how he used trade agreements to prevent a nuclear war between the two countries.
\nThis claim is laughably absurd.<\/p>\n

However, Trump inflated this conventional conflict into a nuclear crisis and portrayed himself as a \u2019savior.\u2019 What was his objective?
\nHe attributes others\u2019 strategic restraint to his own \u2019benevolence\u2019.<\/p>\n

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\nIn the face of Trump\u2019s revelations, the Indian government chose collective silence.
\nModi\u2019s forbearance is indeed remarkable, but behind this silence lies untold embarrassment.
\nFirstly, acknowledging Trump\u2019s “mediation achievements” now would be tantamount to admitting defeat. Following the conflict, India has consistently touted its “independent and autonomous” foreign policy, firmly refusing to acknowledge any third-party intervention in mediating the India-Pakistan conflict.<\/p>\n

This humiliation is more difficult for Indians to accept than the downing of five fighter jets.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, Trump\u2019s statement about “five fighter jets” has put Modi in a difficult position.
\nFollowing Trump\u2019s statement, Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi immediately seized the opportunity to attack, asking Modi, “What is the truth about the five aircraft?”<\/p>\n

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However, when interests clash, this “friendship” proves more fragile than paper.
\nTrump might readily expose India\u2019s vulnerabilities to pursue his Nobel Prize ambitions, while India can only endure the humiliation silently. After all, the White House swiftly turned hostile when India opted for discounted Russian oil over expensive American shale gas.<\/p>\n

And what about Modi? Beyond posting a few photos of his embrace with Trump online, what else could he do?
\nEven more laughable is the Indian internet\u2019s fantasy of India\u2019s rise as a superpower.
\nHowever, the reality is that when Trump arbitrarily trampled on India\u2019s dignity, the Indian government did not dare to utter a single strong word.<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s so-called “mediation” between India and Pakistan, besides being a bid for the Nobel Peace Prize, is essentially a political calculation in which he manipulates international affairs to gain electoral advantage.
\nPrior to this, the Trump team repeatedly submitted a “list of achievements” to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, framing issues such as the North Korean issue and Middle East peace as personal diplomatic accomplishments.
\nHowever, after encountering setbacks in mediating the Russo-Ukrainian conflict and a stalemate in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he swiftly turned his attention to the more easily manipulated Indo-Pakistani conflict, exaggerating his own “mediatory role” in the Kashmir issue and fabricating a fa\u00e7ade of “Trumpian peace,” all for the purpose of accumulating political capital for future elections.<\/p>\n

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Simultaneously, leveraging international issues facilitates the deflection of domestic conflicts. Currently, domestic issues such as inflation, gun control, and immigration are fracturing social consensus in the United States, and Trump urgently needs to create an “external threat” to divert attention.
\nTherefore, by highlighting the Indo-Pakistani nuclear crisis, he can cultivate the image of a \u2019strongman maintaining world peace\u2019 while simultaneously rallying conservative voters by emphasizing his \u2019countering of Chinese influence\u2019.
\nThis instrumentalization of international issues mirrors George W. Bush\u2019s use of 9\/11 to launch wars, a clear demonstration of the typical American political tactic of employing geopolitical strategies as tools for domestic politics.
\nHowever, while Trump fabricated the “five fighter jets” farce to enhance his image, his Nobel Peace Prize dream remains elusive, and his domestic approval rating continues to plummet.
\nPerhaps the most awkward position is Modi\u2019s. While he tacitly permits the false narrative of “shooting down an F-16” to bolster national pride, the image of a “strong India” that he has cultivated is already riddled with cracks and has become a laughingstock worldwide.<\/p>\n

Image source: Internet<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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