Trump calls tariff his ‘favourite word’ and, again, claims he prevented an India-Pakistan war

US President Donald Trump is not backing away from his love affair with tariffs. Speaking at the Marine Corps Base Quantico in Arizona on September 30, he declared tariffs the ‘most beautiful’ word in the English language and his personal favourite.

“I love tariffs. Most beautiful word… Tariff is my favourite word. We’re becoming rich as hell. We’ve taken in trillions of dollars. Other countries had been taking advantage of us for years. Now we’re treating them fairly,” Trump said.

#WATCH | “I love tariffs. Most beautiful word… Tariff is my favourite word… We’re becoming rich as hell… We’ve taken in trillions of dollars… When we finish this out, there’ll never be any wealth like what we have. Other countries had been taking advantage of us for… pic.twitter.com/g4n1bA586X

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— ANI (@ANI) September 30, 2025

Even when pressed by the media about words like ‘love’ or ‘family’, Trump joked tariffs had slipped to his ‘fifth favourite word,’ but quickly added more praise for how the duties have supposedly transformed America’s fortunes.

India in the tariff crosshairs

India, along with Brazil, has been one of the hardest hit by Trump’s tariff push. Since August, New Delhi has faced 50 percent import duties, half of which Trump calls a ‘penalty’ for continuing to buy Russian oil.

At the UN, he even branded India and China as key funders of Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, sharpening tensions as the two countries try to negotiate a trade deal.

While Trump insists tariffs are ‘making us very rich’, India has held its ground, arguing its energy policy is sovereign, and even pointing out that Washington once urged it to keep buying Russian crude to hold down global oil prices.

Trade talks stalled

The tariff rhetoric has cast a shadow over US–India trade talks that began in April with optimism. A deal was once expected by the fall, but the process has hit roadblocks:

Washington’s conditions: No Russian oil purchases and more open access for American goods, including farm and dairy products.
India’s red lines: Protecting sensitive domestic sectors from US imports.

Officials involved: Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and White House adviser Peter Navarro have reinforced Trump’s hard line.

There was some thaw when Trump called PM Narendra Modi his ‘good friend’, leading to resumed negotiations. But the most recent round ended last week with no breakthrough.

‘Stopping wars’ from South Asia to Gaza

Trump’s speech went beyond tariffs. He claimed he has ‘settled so many wars’, including:

India–Pakistan clash: Trump recounted how he called both sides during a four-day flare-up where ‘seven planes were shot down’, claiming he stopped the conflict and ‘saved millions of lives’.

#WATCH | US President Donald J Trump says, “India and Pakistan were going at it. I called them both… They had just shot down seven planes… I said, if you do this, there’s not going to be any trade, and I stopped the war. It was raging for four days… The Prime Minister of… pic.twitter.com/sNvRz2OssU

— ANI (@ANI) September 30, 2025

Gaza plan: He said his peace proposal could end ‘eight wars in eight months’ if Hamas agrees, though he doubted he’d win a Nobel Prize for it.

Middle East talks: He suggested progress unseen ‘for 3,000 years’ with Arab states, Muslim nations and Israel all on board.

Russia–Ukraine war: He insisted the conflict ‘would have never happened’ had he still been president, citing his rapport with Vladimir Putin.

A legal fight over tariff powers

Trump also addressed the ongoing court battle over whether he even has the authority to impose tariffs through executive orders. A lower court ruled those powers lie with Congress, but delayed its ruling.

The case is now before the US Supreme Court, and Trump sounded confident: “We have a big case in front of the Supreme Court… This is what other nations have done to us.”