Claim: US President Donald Trump mocked Pakistan after India announced plans to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty.
Fact: Donald Trump did not mock Pakistan. The viral video is from 2016, recorded during a campaign rally in Texas, where Trump mocked his then-Republican rival Marco Rubio.
A Facebook user shared a clip (archive) of the US President containing the following Urdu text: “…
انڈیا کا پاکستان پر پانی بند کرنے کے معاملے پر امریکی صدر ڈونلڈ ٹرمپ کا رد عمل سامنے آیا ہے”
[Translation: US President Donald Trump’s reaction to India cutting off water to Pakistan has surfaced.]
In the video, Trump can be heard saying, “I need water. Help me. I need water. Help.”
Trump is then seen emptying a bottle of water, which he subsequently throws away.
Pahalgam Attack
The strikes carried out by India as part of Operation Sindoor were purportedly in response to the terror attack that took place in Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir on 22 April 2025, which killed 26 people, mostly tourists. India has blamed the attacks on Pakistan, whereas Pakistan has denied any involvement and demanded a neutral investigation.
The Resistance Front – a group that Indian officials maintain is a proxy front for the Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) – initially claimed responsibility for that attack but later retracted its statement.
The Indus Waters Treaty
Soon after the attack in Pahalgam, the Indian government announced the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty. The landmark water-sharing treaty, which had been in place since 1960, had previously endured despite many instances of armed conflict between the neighbouring nuclear countries.
After a UNSC meeting to discuss the matter, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “Now, India’s water will flow for India’s benefit, it will be conserved for India’s benefit, and it will be used for India’s progress”. On the other hand, Pakistan stated that attempts to stop or divert Pakistan’s water would be considered an “act of war and responded with full force across the complete spectrum of national power”.
Trump’s response to the conflict between Pakistan and India
Following the attack in Pahalgam, the US President remarked that tensions between India and Pakistan had persisted for “1,500 years” and added, “They’ll get it figured out, one way or the other, I’m sure of that. There’s been great tension between Pakistan and India, but there always has been.” In response to a question about whether he would speak to Prime Ministers Shehbaz Sharif or Narendra Modi, Trump stated, “I am very close to India and I’m very close to Pakistan.”
Similarly, following Indian airstrikes in Pakistan in the early hours of 7 May and Pakistan’s subsequent response, Trump addressed the developments later that evening in the US, saying: “It’s a shame. We just heard about it as we were walking through the doors of the Oval. Commenting on the broader conflict, he added, “They’ve been fighting for a long time… I just hope it ends very quickly.”
India attacks Pakistani military bases
According to Pakistan Army spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, India attacked different Pakistan Air Force (PAF) airbases, including Nur Khan in Chaklala, Rawalpindi, Murid in Chakwal, and Rafiqui, formerly known as Shorkot, in Jhang. Chaudhry said the Pakistani military intercepted a “majority” of India’s missiles and “successfully prevent[ed] the desired objectives of India”.
The missiles that did make it inside the Pakistani territory have “not been able to cause any damage” to the country’s assets, Chaudhry maintained. The PAF was able to figure out “from where they [Indian missiles] were initiated and what was targeted” through electronic signatures, he added.
Pakistan Army, Chaudhry said, was “vigilant and thwarting all these cowardly acts of aggression by Indians”.
Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos
On 10 May, the Pakistan Army announced a counterattack against India at 4:38 AM — named “Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos”, which is an Arabic phrase that translates to “steel wall”. They added that the action was “part of the military conflict Marka-e-Haq”.
The military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said Pakistan targeted “26x military targets as well as facilities that were used to target Pakistani citizens and those enterprises that were responsible for fomenting terrorism in Pakistan”.
The targeted airbases include those at “Suratgarh, Sirsa, Bhuj, Naliya, Adampur, Bhatinda, Barnala, Halwara, Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Udhampur, Mamun, Ambala, and Pathankot”, it said. “[The] BrahMos storage facilities at Beas and Nagrota were also destroyed.”
Pakistan claimed to have hit “multiple targets in India and India-administered Kashmir”, CNN reported. “The Pakistan military said that, in an ‘eye for eye’ retaliation, they targeted the Indian air bases that were used to launch missiles against Pakistan,” it added.
On the other hand, the Indian Defence Ministry said Pakistani drones were “sighted at 26 locations along the International Border and LoC with Pakistan” and that “these include suspected armed drones”.
India’s missile attacks and Pakistan’s response mark “the most significant escalation so far in the brewing conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours”, according to The Guardian.
Ceasefire announcement
On the evening of 10 May, a ceasefire was announced by US President Donald Trump, who wrote on his Truth Social platform: “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!”
Trump’s announcement came after US State Secretary Marco Rubio spoke separately to Pakistan Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir, Pakistani Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar, and Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
The ceasefire between the two nuclear-armed neighbours was confirmed by Dar, who wrote: “Pakistan and India have agreed to a ceasefire with immediate effect. Pakistan has always strived for peace and security in the region, without compromising on its sovereignty and territorial integrity!”
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri also confirmed the same, saying his country and Pakistan would “stop all firing and military action on land, air, and sea” with effect from 5 pm IST, or 4:30 pm PKT.
In an X post, Jaishankar wrote, “India and Pakistan have today worked out an understanding on stoppage of firing and military action. India has consistently maintained a firm and uncompromising stance against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. It will continue to do so.”
Shortly afterwards, CNN reported quoting an Indian source that the ceasefire was “worked out ‘directly between’ India and Pakistan, despite US President Donald Trump’s announcement that the ceasefire was the result of a night of US mediation”. Misri and New Delhi’s Ministry of Information reiterated the same.
The ceasefire between the two countries has largely been upheld.
On 14 May, Trump urged India and Pakistan to “go out to dinner” together to resolve their disputes. “Following his statement, the State Department said Washington is now focused on encouraging direct communication between the two nuclear-armed neighbours,” reported Dawn.
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check reverse-searched keyframes from the viral video to trace its original source and contextualise Donald Trump’s remarks and actions. We found that the footage was first shared on 27 February 2016 by CNN and NBC News.
At the time, Trump was a presidential candidate speaking at a rally in Texas. The clip shows him mocking his then-Republican rival Marco Rubio’s 2013 State of the Union address, during which Rubio took a sip of water mid-speech. At no point in the video does Trump refer to Pakistan.
We also conducted a keyword search to check whether the US President had commented on the dispute over the Indus Waters Treaty between the two neighbouring states; however, it did not yield any results from credible news outlets.
Virality
The claim was shared here (archive) on Facebook.
On X, it was shared here (archive).
It was shared here, here, and here on Instagram. Archived here, here, and here.
On TikTok, it was shared here (archive).
Conclusion: Trump did not mock Pakistan over India’s decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty. The viral video is from 2016, recorded during a campaign rally in Texas, where Trump mocked his then-Republican rival Marco Rubio.
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Background image in cover photo: Yahoo
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