‘Trump not receiving enough credit': Karoline Leavitt claims Kashmiri man praised US President for India-Pakistan truce
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on May 15, shared an anecdote from her breakfast in Doha, Qatar, where a waiter from Kashmir reportedly thanked US President Donald Trump for helping bring about a ceasefire between India and Pakistan.
"...my waiter told me to thank President Trump for him," Leavitt wrote. "I asked him why. He told me he is from Kashmir, and he has been unable to return home in recent weeks due to the India-Pakistan conflict. But he was just notified that he's now able to return, thanks to the ceasefire mediated by President Trump, @VP & @SecRubio."
According to Leavitt, the waiter felt that Trump's role in defusing the crisis has not received proper recognition.
'He said President Trump is not receiving enough credit for literally preventing a nuclear war — and he is right!' she stated in her post.
Leavitt used the anecdote to underscore what she described as a broader foreign policy shift under President Trump, characterising his current trip to the Middle East as transformative.
"President Trump inherited so many conflicts around the globe, and he is tackling them one at a time," she wrote. "This historic trip to the Middle East has marked a significant turn in U.S. foreign policy in the region that will finally usher the Golden Age of the Middle East!"
Concluding her message, Leavitt echoed a familiar Trump-era slogan: "Peace, through strength, is being restored!"
Speaking at the US-Saudi Arabia Investment Forum in Qatar on May 13, Trump declared: 'Just days ago, my administration successfully brokered a historic ceasefire to stop the escalating violence between India and Pakistan. I used trade to a large extent. I said let's make a deal, let's do some trading. Let's not trade nuclear missiles, let's trade the things you make so beautifully.'
He praised the leadership in both nations, saying: 'Both have very powerful, strong and smart leaders. It all stopped and hopefully it will remain that way...They [India-Pakistan] are actually getting along.'
The remarks came days after India launched precision strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May 7, in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 civilians, most of them tourists.
Pakistan responded with strikes on Indian military installations on May 8, 9, and 10. The Indian armed forces countered with retaliatory attacks on several Pakistani military targets.
Hostilities ended on May 10 after a mutual decision to cease all military actions on land, air, and sea. Indian government sources said this understanding was reached through Director General of Military Operations (DGMO)-level talks between the two countries.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
26 minutes ago
- First Post
First civilian detained by US Marines during LA protests over immigration raids
The incident occurred at the Wilshire Federal Building, where US Marines were assigned to safeguard the site on Friday, an uncommon instance of military involvement on domestic soil amid ongoing demonstrations sparked by immigration raids read more US marines detain a person outside the Wilshire Federal Building in Los Angeles. Reuters The US Marines, whose deployment has stoked controversy in the country, have made their first civilian detention. This is the first known instance of detention by active-duty troops deployed by President Donald Trump to quell the protests in Los Angeles. The incident occurred at the Wilshire Federal Building, where US Marines were assigned to safeguard the site on Friday, an uncommon instance of military involvement on domestic soil amid ongoing demonstrations sparked by immigration raids. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD According to a report by Reuters, Marines apprehended the man, restraining his hands with zip ties and then handing him over to civilians from the Department of Homeland Security. Asked about the incident, the US military's Northern Command spokesperson said active duty forces 'may temporarily detain an individual in specific circumstances.' 'Any temporary detention ends immediately when the individual(s) can be safely transferred to the custody of appropriate civilian law enforcement personnel,' a spokesperson said. Refresh for updates
Mint
38 minutes ago
- Mint
India in anti-dumping crosshairs: US, Pakistan target Indian exports at WTO
New Delhi: The US, Brazil and Pakistan have initiated anti-dumping measures against India, which has been fighting its own battle against low-priced products flooding domestic markets. Trade experts suggest some of these measures may be strategic, signalling a growing wave of trade defense actions against India and aimed at influencing New Delhi's trade negotiations with key partners. Pakistan's anti-dumping charges against India are particularly baffling, as the two duelling neighbours have banned any trade between them. Yet, Pakistan has initiated an anti-dumping investigation against India over exports of sulfonic acid, which is used in manufacturing detergents, dyes, and catalysts, according to a World Trade Organization report released late on Thursday (12 June). The WTO document details preliminary and final anti-dumping measures undertaken by 11 members of the trade body, including major economies such as the US, Brazil, Pakistan, Indonesia, and the UK, against various countries. The report is based on notices submitted in May under Article 16.4 of the WTO Anti-Dumping Agreement. 'Such measures reflect the growing wave of trade protectionism aimed at shielding domestic industries," said Abhash Kumar, a trade economist and assistant professor of economics at Delhi University, referring to the anti-dumping charges against India. 'The repeated targeting of Indian products highlights the need for India to adopt a more proactive trade defense strategy." The commerce ministry didn't immediately reply to Mint's queries on the development. Amid India-US trade talks India and the US concluded a fifth round of face-to-face talks on 10 June on streamlining tariffs and reducing non-tariff barriers towards finalising a landmark bilateral trade agreement. But New Delhi also approached the WTO over the US's steep tariffs on Indian steel, aluminium and auto component exports. Washington has rejected India's notices at the WTO against the US's 25% tariff on steel and aluminium—both of which have since been increased to 50%—as well as the 25% duty on auto components. However, as per a Mint report on 10 June, the US has agreed to discuss both issues with India outside the WTO framework. Amidst this, the US has initiated a broad set of investigations into Indian exports across critical sectors, according to the WTO report. These include ceramic tiles, cold-drawn mechanical tubing of carbon and alloy steel, and corrosion-resistant steel products, which are central to India's manufacturing and infrastructure export strategy. Also read | US puts hard terms on table, presents a take-it-or-leave-it offer India's total exports of ceramic products to the US stood at $403.87 million in 2023-24, but declined to $361.44 million in FY25, according to commerce ministry data. In the chemical sector, Indian-origin epoxy resins, glycine, melamine, and granular polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) resins are facing trade restrictions. The US has also listed Indian exports of 2,4-D herbicide and raw honey under anti-dumping scrutiny, pointing to growing tensions over India's role in global agricultural commodity markets. Exports of Indian-origin resins to the US increased from $358.07 million in FY24 to $448.73 million in FY25, while India's honey exports to the US jumped from $176.29 million to $204.58 million. Pakistan's puzzling charges India's challenges are not limited to Washington. Brazil has named India in an investigation into pre-painted steel, raising concerns over competitive steel pricing from South Asia. Pakistan, meanwhile, has initiated an anti-dumping investigation into sulphonic acid imports from six countries, including India. This development is particularly puzzling given that India banned exports to Pakistan after the Pulwama attack in 2019, and Pakistan banned all trade with India in August 2019 following India's decision to revoke Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. With direct imports from India into Pakistan prohibited for nearly six years, analysts suggest that Islamabad's investigation may be aimed at Indian-origin sulphonic acid entering Pakistan through third countries such as the UAE, Singapore, or Malaysia. Also read | After US's 50% tariff blow, India now faces EU heat on steel quotas 'These shipments may have been relabelled to hide their Indian origin, raising concerns within Pakistan's domestic industry. It's also possible that the investigation is based on the injury caused by imports that took place before the trade ban came into effect," said Ajay Srivastava, co-founder of the Global Trade Research Initiative, a think tank. 'Alternatively, the move could be strategic, aimed at formally challenging India's pricing practices and laying the groundwork for future trade negotiations," he added. India's anti-dumping woes India's trade investigation body, the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR), has initiated 11 anti-dumping investigations and issued final findings in 13 cases—mostly targeting Chinese products—in FY25. In the past, India had launched an anti‑dumping probe on high‑speed steel imports from Brazil in 2018. In January this year, the DGTR launched anti-dumping investigations into imports of nylon filament yarn and sulphenamides accelerators originating from the US. 'As anti-dumping actions rise globally, including from key partners like the US, India will use both its legal rights at the WTO and the ongoing BTA negotiations to defend its exporters, push for fairer trade rules, and address protectionist barriers," a government official said. However, India did not file any new cases during the May reporting period.
Time of India
39 minutes ago
- Time of India
UK: Three British Hindus beaten up in London park in racially motivated attack
This is an AI-generated image, used for representational purposes only LONDON: Three British Hindu men were asked their ethnicity in a London park and, when they replied they were Indian and Sri Lankan, were viciously beaten up in an unprovoked attack by three older men who appeared to be Muslim, it has emerged. Two of the men suffered blows to the head and were left unconscious; all had to go to Northwick Park Hospital. They have all been left with cuts and bruises and two have been left with facial fractures. Tory MP Bob Blackman raised the case in the House of Commons on Thursday, describing it as 'religious hatred.' TOI has now tracked down the sister of one of the men, a British Indian Gujarati Hindu, aged 20, a first-year university student studying radiography. It turns out he had gone to Harrow Recreation Ground with two friends on May 30 to play cricket. The friends are British Hindus of Sri Lankan descent, aged 20 and 21. The three of them went to a shop at 6 pm, walking past a café where a group of around eight people were seated. It appeared to be a Muslim family, with some of the women wearing hijabs. They looked back at their other friends playing cricket when one of the men outside the café got up and confronted the three Hindus and asked them why they were looking at his family, his sister told TOI. They replied that they were not looking at his family and were looking at friends playing cricket. Then a slightly older man from the café group came over and asked: 'What is your problem? Why are you talking to my brother?' The three men tried to defuse the situation and the two men seemed to accept their answer. They went back to the park and sat on a bench. Around 30 minutes later, three men from the cafe group, in their mid to late 20s, came over and became very aggressive, asking, 'Where are you from? Are you Sri Lankan? Are you Indian?' To which one of the Sri Lankan-origin men replied: 'Yes, we are.' The three men then beat them up relentlessly, punching and kicking them until the British Indian and his friend were left lying unconscious on the ground, the sister said. 'My brother was wearing a sacred thread from a mandir on his wrist,' the sister said. One of the attackers was wearing a Moroccan football T-shirt with the number 2 and the word 'Hakimi'. Police and ambulances arrived and the British Indian was taken to the hospital. The other two had to make their own way there. 'My brother is struggling. He feels as if people are looking at him and is ashamed to step out of the house. He has never been involved in a fight before,' the sister told TOI on Friday. 'He has just done his first-year exams and was meant to resume his two-week clinical placement the week after the attack and that has been put on hold.' She also said she was unhappy with how the police investigation was progressing, as two weeks later, they still had not examined CCTV footage. The Met Police told TOI they were called to deal with a 'fight' and one man was taken to hospital 'with a head injury'. 'There is no evidence at this time that this attack was racially motivated. Our enquiries into the circumstances continue. No arrests have been made,' a spokesperson said.
