Former US National Security Advisor John Bolton has taken a jab at his former boss, Donald Trump, saying that Trump has a habit of grabbing credit whether it’s due or not. And, the latest example, Bolton says, is Trump’s claim of brokering peace between India and Pakistan.
“It’s nothing personal to India. This is Donald Trump, who takes credit for everything,” Bolton quipped, summing up what he called a familiar pattern of Trump rushing to the spotlight, facts notwithstanding.
TRUMP BEING TRUMP
Speaking to ANI, Bolton, not known to sugarcoat his words, said, “I think he did have a call with Prime Minister Modi, and Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were also on the call. I’m sure other countries might also be calling to see what they can do. It’s typical of Trump because he would jump in before everyone else could take credit. It may be irritating, probably is irritating to many people, but it’s nothing against India, it’s just Trump being Trump,” he added.
Speaking to ANI, Bolton dismissed Trump’s assertion that American mediation led to a ceasefire between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. The deadly assault, which killed 26 civilians, prompted India’s massive retaliatory offensive — dubbed Operation Sindoor — targeting nine terror camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
His comments come amid President Donald Trump’s claim, on Wednesday, that he played a key role in stopping hostilities between nuclear neighbours India and Pakistan. “If you take a look at what we just did with Pakistan and India — we settled that whole thing,” Trump declared at a joint press conference with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. “I think I settled it through trade. We’re doing a big deal with India. We’re doing a big deal with Pakistan.”
“Somebody had to be the last one to shoot. The shooting was getting worse and worse, deeper into the countries. We spoke to them, and I think we got it settled,” he added.
TRUMP CREDITS HIMSELF FOR CEASEFIRE
The US President has been repeating everywhere that it was he who not only simply ‘broker’ the India-Pakistan ceasefire, but also prevented a ‘nuclear war’.
On Truth Social, Trump posted, “After a long night of talks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a full and immediate ceasefire. Congratulations to both countries on using common sense and great intelligence. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
However, Indian officials have consistently denied that Washington played any role in brokering peace or that trade deals were ever linked to de-escalation efforts.