TRUMP “DESPERATE” TO CLAIM FOREIGN POLICY SUCCESSES AMID DECLINING POPULARITY, SAYS EXPERT

Foreign policy expert Mahesh Sachdev has suggested that US President Donald Trump appears “desperate” to project success in foreign policy, as declining popularity and mounting domestic and international challenges weigh on the President.Speaking on Trump’s recent State of the Union address to Congress, Sachdev noted that the US President’s repeated claims of having halted a potential India-Pakistan conflict—arising from the Pahalgam terror attacks last year—appear timed to bolster his image ahead of the midterm elections.During his speech, Trump claimed he had “stopped eight wars” and took credit for halting the possible military escalation between India and Pakistan in May 2025.However, Indian officials have consistently denied any third-party intervention in the ceasefire agreement, stating that the request to halt operations came directly from Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations.“I think the context is pretty clear through this assertion as well as the denials. But the fact that this reiteration takes place against the falling popularity of President Trump, which seems to have declined precipitously as the midterm election looms, makes the President a bit more desperate to claim foreign policy successes, which have been rare and few in between despite his claims to the contrary,” Sachdev said.Analysts say that Trump’s foreign policy claims, particularly regarding India-Pakistan relations, are being used strategically to counter his declining domestic approval ratings and highlight achievements in areas where real successes have been limited.