Trump Says US Will Commit $10 Billion To His Board Of Peace During Rambling Address

President Donald Trump on Thursday said the US will contribute $10 billion to the Board of Peace during a bizarre address at his club of world leaders’ first meeting.

Trump made the announcement toward the end of a long, rambling speech as the board — which critics fear will undermine the United Nations and is largely made up of countries run by oppressive and authoritarian leaders — convened in Washington, D.C.

The president gave no further details on the funding, such as where the money is coming from and the scope of what it can be spent on.

The initial remit of the board, first proposed last September, was to implement Trump’s vision for the reconstruction of Gaza following the Hamas-Israel war.

But Trump later made clear his intention for the board is to tackle other conflicts worldwide.

“The Board of Peace is showing how a better future can be built, starting right here in this room,” Trump said at the Donald J. Trump US Institute of Peace, a building the president recently renamed for himself. 

“And I want to let you know that the United States is going to make a contribution of $10 billion to the Board of Peace, and we’ve got great support for that number.”

Trump also said Board of Peace contributing nations had raised $7 billion as an initial down payment for Gaza’s regeneration.

HuffPost has contacted the White House for more details on the US contribution.

More than 20 countries have joined Trump’s board, with member nations mandated to contribute $1 billion to secure a permanent board seat.

Argentina, Hungary and Saudi Arabia are among the first recruits, while major Western countries — including the UK, France and Germany — have snubbed Trump’s offer.

The president revoked Canada’s invitation after the country’s prime minister, Mark Carney, appeared to reference Trump in a speech condemning “authoritarianism and exclusion.”

In the address to the inaugural meeting of his creation, Trump said that those who haven’t accepted are “playing a little cute.” “You can’t play cute with me,” he warned.

He later attempted to ease concerns about his organisation jeopardising the UN’s role as the world’s main peacekeeper, saying: “We’re going to strengthen up the United Nations.”

The summit came as Trump threatens war against Iran. He used the meeting to reveal that he’ll decide whether to attack the county within the next 10 days amid attempts to get a deal limiting Iran’s nuclear program.

War and peace weren’t the only things on Trump’s mind as he lurched from one random subject to another.

Pivoting to party politics, Trump fixated on Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and her comments at last week’s Munich Security Conference.

He called Ocasio-Cortez an “attractive woman” who was “unable to answer questions,” a reference to apparent errors the congresswoman made that have become a media talking point.

He went on to say one of Ocasio-Cortez’s answers could be “career-ending” but failed to specify which one he was referring to.

Some billed Ocasio-Cortez’s appearance at the foreign policy talking shop as a step toward a potential presidential run in 2028, a characterization the 36-year-old told The New York Times was “out of touch and missing the point.”

Trump also jabbed at California Gov. Gavin Newsom, another potential Democratic Party presidential candidate.

In another deviation where he seized on someone’s appearance, Trump praised the looks of the Paraguayan president while mispronouncing his name and then backpedaled, apparently fearing people might think he was attracted to men.

“President Pena of Paraguay is here,” Trump said, mispronouncing Peña. “President?” he asked, looking around the room to find Peña. “President, thank you very much.”

“Young, handsome guy. 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... no, I don’t have any interest.”

The platform also gave him the chance to again air his grievance about missing out on the Norwegian Nobel Peace Prize.

Thanking FIFA President Gianni Infantino, present at the meeting, for the peace prize that his soccer team awarded to him, Trump said: “I got screwed by Norway.”