E-Paper
$1 billion membership for Trump’s peace board? White House reacts to report
White House Rapid Response 47 account said in a post on X, “This is misleading. There is no minimum membership fee to join the Board of Peace."
The Trump administration is seeking at least $1 billion from countries for permanent membership on a proposed Board of Peace, according to a Bloomberg News report. However, the White House on Sunday reacted to the report, calling the claim “misleading”.
The media report sparked fresh questions, particularly as US President Donald Trump renews tariff pressure on European allies over their stance on Greenland.
Citing a draft charter, the Bloomberg report said that the Trump administration wants countries to pay $1 billion to retain a place on what it described as Trump’s peace board. Trump would serve as the inaugural chairman of the body, it added.
The draft charter also proposes that each member state would serve a term of no more than three years from the charter’s entry into force, with renewals subject to the chairman’s approval, the report said.
Notably, President Donald Trump would serve as its inaugural chairman on this group, the report said.
The Bloomberg report also said critics have expressed concern that Trump may be seeking to build an alternative or rival to the United Nations, an institution he has long criticised. HT.com could not immediately verify the claims.
White House responds
The White House pushed back strongly against the claim. The official White House Rapid Response 47 account said in a post on X, “This is misleading. There is no minimum membership fee to join the Board of Peace."
However, the post also mentioned, “This simply offers permanent membership to partner countries who demonstrate deep commitment to peace, security, and prosperity.”
While the White House denied the existence of a fixed or minimum membership fee, it did not spell out what criteria would be used to assess a country’s “deep commitment” to peace, security, and prosperity.
It was unclear whether financial contributions, security commitments, or other forms of support might still factor into eligibility for permanent membership, even if no formal price tag is attached.
When asked separately about the Bloomberg report by Reuters, the US State Department referred to earlier social media posts by President Trump and his special envoy Steve Witkoff, which did not mention any membership fee or dollar amount.
