The Board of Peace held its first meeting in Washington on Thursday, and it grabbed attention for all the wrong reasons. The first hiccup came after the Vatican declined its invitation, concerned that Trump’s initiative would clash with the United Nations.
However, it didn’t take long for the countries that attended the event to realize that all POTUS wanted was to satisfy his own ego by forming a group that could compete with the United Nations. The meeting was arranged at the recently renamed Donald J. Trump United States Institute of Peace. His obsession with renaming landmarks after himself has been repeatedly criticized.
He tried to diminish this claim during his speech. He commented, “Nobody knew what to name it, and then Marco named it after me. I had nothing to do with it.”
Trump: “This building was built for peace. Nobody knew what to name it, and then Marco named it after me. I had nothing to do with it. I swear. They said, ‘There’s a surprise coming.’ I thought they were gonna give me a lot of money or something. Maybe cash. Can always use some… pic.twitter.com/UR8YbJmRia
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 19, 2026
Adding to the point, he joked he was going to be paid, “I thought they were gonna give me a lot of money or something.” He added, “Maybe cash. Can always use some extra cash.” However, his awkward joke didn’t land well with his guests.
He dedicated a significant portion of his speech to rambling on irrelevant subjects. He passed the insensitive comment, “the war in Gaza is over,” despite reports of continued Israeli attacks.
World leaders and founding members of the Board of Peace gather for the inaugural meeting at the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace. pic.twitter.com/F8f67yrlZZ
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 19, 2026
The event started to feel more like a cringe-fest than an official meeting from the get-go. Trump made his attendees pose for a photo op with November Rain by Guns N’ Roses playing in the background. On top of the track being an odd choice for the assembly, the band’s lead vocalist Axl Rose, has expressed his dissatisfaction with the president using his song.
Trump’s Board of Peace is nothing but a huge ego booster for him. His nomination as chairman of the board comes with the power to have the final say. Moreover, he will remain in the job until he decides to choose a replacement.
Trump has a history of slurring during important meetings. The Board of Peace gathering saw Trump struggling to pronounce the names of foreign high-ranking officials and even almost falling asleep. However, he didn’t care to apologize. “He’s got one of the most difficult names in history, but it’s okay,” he dismissed the matter.
As the president kept boasting about his past peace deals at the Board of Peace assembly, the guests took the opportunity to cozy up to him for their own benefit. Kazakhstan’s President, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, praised him a little too hard and declared, “Under your strong leadership, the board of peace will successfully deliver its great noble mission.”
