President Trump announced Thursday that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s invitation to join the “Board of Peace” for the war-torn Gaza Strip has been withdrawn.
“Dear Prime Minister Carney,” Trump’s Truth Social postbegan.
“Please let this Letter serve to represent that the Board of Peace is withdrawing its invitation to you regarding Canada’s joining, what will be, the most prestigious Board of Leaders ever assembled, at any time,” the president continued. “Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Trump didn’t give a reason for revoking the invite but his announcement comes on the same day Carney fired back at the president’s criticism of Canada in Davos.
“Canada doesn’t live because of the United States. Canada thrives because we are Canadian,” Carney said in a speech in Quebec City Thursday.
Earlier this week, at the World Economic Forum, Trump asserted that “Canada lives because of the United States.”
“Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements,” the president warned.
Trump also complained that Canada gets “freebies” from the US and “should be grateful.”
The president’s needling came after Carney spoke of “a rupture in the world order” at the forum in Switzerland Tuesday.
The Canadian prime minister, who has been unable to negotiate a trade deal to lift Trump’s tariffs, called on the world’s “middle powers” to “act together.”
Trump, who was announced as the inaugural chairman of the Board of Peace, has sweeping veto power over the panel and the sole ability to determine which nations will be represented on it.
The White House confirmed this past weekend that while temporary three-year terms on the board are free, the president is expecting countries to cough up $1 billion for a permanent slot to raise money for reconstruction in Gaza.
The panel, which Trump has hailed as “the Greatest and Most Prestigious Board ever assembled,” is expected to include representatives from about 30 countries.
Some European leaders, including France’s Emmanuel Macron and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky, have turned down invitations over concerns about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inclusion and possible undermining of the United Nations.
Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bulgaria, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Mongolia, Morocco, Pakistan, Paraguay, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan were represented on stage in Davos Thursday for the board’s inaugural ceremony.
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