President Trump emceed the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington on Thursday morning. It’s a new international body he created and oversees. Nations willing to pay $1 billion can purchase a permanent seat on the board.
The big news out of the meeting was that the president promised the United States would put up $10 billion in aid to Gaza. Where this money would come from or whether it had been approved by Congress, he did not say. White House officials did not respond to requests for comment. Some other nations pledged aid money, too.
Beyond that, there were few clear objectives from the meeting. It was like the United Nations General Assembly, if everything about the United Nations revolved around Donald Trump.
He told tall tales. Cracked old jokes. Got people to pay money into something he’s named after himself. Hyped up his wife’s movie. Trashed his enemies. Aired familiar grievances. Congratulated himself. Brought along top members of his government and then kicked back while they congratulated him.
So much about the meeting was highly unorthodox.
To begin with, there was the timing. Mr. Trump was hosting this meeting just as he was moving a mighty array of military hardware into place near Iran. He used his peace summit to threaten all-out war. “Bad things will happen” if Iran doesn’t make a deal with him about its nuclear program, he warned. “You’re going to be finding out over the next probably 10 days.”
Also, there was the location. The Trump-led Board of Peace met at the Donald J. Trump United States Institute of Peace (it’s just down the street from the Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts). “Marco named it after me,” Mr. Trump explained about the venue while his secretary of state sat a few feet away. “I had nothing to do with it, I swear I didn’t. I swear. I had no idea.”
And there was the very nature of the thing. What is the Board of Peace, really? To see it come together for the first time is to understand it as a manifestation of a Trump World Order.
None of America’s old mates wanted anything to do with it. Leaders from Britain, France, Canada, Germany, Norway and other places the president has spent a year insulting stayed away. Their absence was clocked by the peacemeister. “Almost everybody’s accepted, and the ones that haven’t will be,” he claimed. “Some are playing a little cute. Doesn’t work. You can’t play cute with me.”
There was a funny little note in his voice then. Was it self-consciousness? “The ones that aren’t here are watching on Zoom,” he said.
The president had nice things to say about the ones who did want to join his club. “This is the most prestigious board ever put together,” he proclaimed. “You know, I’ve seen some great corporate boards. I’ve seen some great boards, period. It’s peanuts compared to this board.”
In the immortal words of Megadeth: Peace sells … but who’s buying?
Morocco, Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Indonesia and Vietnam all accepted invitations to join the Board of Peace.
Mr. Trump shouted out some other leaders. “We are honored to be joined by Prime Minister Rama of Albania,” he said. “Where is President Milei?” he asked, spotting the Argentine leader. “Prime Minister Hun Manet of Cambodia, raise your hand, wherever you may be.” Prime Minister Hun Manet raised his hand. “Yeah, hi,” Mr. Trump said.
Santiago Peña, the 47-year-old president of Paraguay, caught Mr. Trump’s eye. “Young, handsome guy,” he said. “It’s always nice to be young and handsome. Doesn’t mean we have to like you. I don’t like young, handsome men. Women, I like. Men? I don’t have any interest. Ha, ha.”
Capeesh?
There was some light U.N.-bashing at this first meeting of the Anti-U.N. “The Board of Peace is going to almost be looking over the United Nations and making sure it runs properly,” Mr. Trump said. He recounted how the last time he spoke at the U.N., his teleprompter was busted and the elevator broke down.
And of course, there was venting of grievances about the Nobel Prize. “I got screwed by Norway,” Mr. Trump said.
There was a PowerPoint presentation and a video of Gazans interspersed with B-roll footage of Mr. Trump walking around and shaking hands.
The president banged a miniature golden gavel, and with that, the first meeting of the Board of Peace was adjourned.
Shawn McCreesh is a White House reporter for The Times covering the Trump administration.
The post With a Golden Gavel and a Threat to Iran, Trump Launches His Board of Peace appeared first on New York Times.
