President Donald Trump described peace as being “destructive for everyone” as he returned to the U.S. following his appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Asked about his controversial "Board of Peace" for Gaza and its $1 billion fee for permanent membership, Trump said, “Some of the countries have already put up much more than that. And that’s a lot of money, but it’s nothing compared to the value of peace.”
“Peace is so destructive for everyone, even countries that aren’t involved,” he continued, before adding, “It’s so destructive for everybody when you have wars.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
Trump launched his “Board of Peace” at Davos on Thursday in a signing ceremony, where he was joined by some of the world leaders he had invited to join, including Argentina’s President Javier Milei and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
In total, leaders from fewer than 20 nations joined the president at the ceremony, well below the 35 estimated by the White House. Notably absent were leaders from any Western European countries, Israel, or Palestine, and no other permanent member of the U.N. Security Council has committed to joining.
Ahead of the ceremony, the White House shared a list of signatories that included Belgium, prompting its deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, Maxime Prévot, to issue a statement clarifying that Belgium had not signed the board’s charter.
“We wish for a common and coordinated European response,” Prévot wrote on X. “As many European countries, we have reservations to the proposal.” Prévot had previously accused Trump of attempting to replace the United Nations with his board.
European leaders have also expressed concern over a number of leaders Trump has invited to participate, including Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a key Putin ally.
The president has said that his Board of Peace will work to stabilize the fragile ceasefire in Gaza, but that once it is formed, it could play a larger role in global affairs moving forward.
“Once this board is completely formed, we can do pretty much whatever we want to do. And we’ll do it in conjunction with the United Nations,” Trump said on Thursday. Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed his sentiments, suggesting that the board could “serve as an example of what’s possible in other parts of the world”.
Despite claims to be working towards peace, the president and former real estate developer has previously shared details of a “Trump economic development plan to rebuild and energize Gaza” that have left observers concerned about his intentions for the region and the residents of Gaza.
His son-in-law, Jared Kushner, unveiled some of the administration’s “master plan” for Gaza on Thursday, telling attendees that the plans for ‘New Gaza’ emulate other newly redeveloped cities in the region.
The Board of Peace estimates that redeveloping Gaza would require more than $25 billion but could be completed in just two or three years.
When asked by reporters on Thursday whether he saw himself serving as chairman of the board past his second term in office, Trump replied, “I have the right to be if I want. I’ll decide. We’ll see what happens... They’d like me to be.”
