Fact Check: Donald Trump Did Not Say Pakistan Shot Down 7 Indian Jets, Claim Misleading

PIB clarified that claims of Donald Trump saying Pakistan shot down seven Indian jets during May 2025 tensions are misleading. Trump mentioned seven planes lost but did not specify nationality.

New Delhi (India): The Press Information Bureau (PIB) has clarified that claims suggesting US President Donald Trump said Pakistan shot down seven Indian Air Force jets during the May 2025 India-Pakistan tensions are misleading. Some Pakistani propaganda accounts misrepresented Trump’s comments. In his speech, he noted that seven aircraft were lost during the conflict but did not specify the nationality of the planes or imply that all belonged to India. “If you look at India and Pakistan, they were ready to go at it. Seven planes were shot down... what I said was very effective. Not only did we make hundreds of billions of dollars, but we're a peacekeeper because of tariffs,” Trump had said. The PIB urged citizens to verify international claims from credible official sources before sharing, stressing the prevalence of misinformation regarding global geopolitical events.

'Pakistani Planes Shot Down'

India had categorically destroyed several high-value Pakistani military assets during Operation Sindoor, Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh had said. The strikes, launched in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack, targeted multiple Pakistani airfields, damaging radars at four locations, command and control centres at two sites, runways at two airbases, and three hangars across different stations.

He confirmed that evidence shows at least one C-130-class transport aircraft, a surface-to-air missile (SAM) system, and a long-range platform—either an AEW&C or SIGINT aircraft—were destroyed. Notably, five fighter jets, likely US-made F-16s and China’s JF-17s, were neutralised, including aircraft under maintenance. Dismissing Pakistan’s claims of shooting down IAF aircraft as mere “Manohar Kahaniyan” (fictional tales), Singh said Islamabad was spinning stories to maintain domestic credibility. “If they think they shot down 15 of my jets, let them believe it. Unlike India, they have shown no photographic evidence of any damage,” he remarked.