WASHINGTON — President Trump announced Thursday that the US will donate $10 billion to the Board of Peace — more than all other contributions combined.
“I want to let you know that the United States is going to make a contribution of $10 billion to the Board of Peace,” he said at its inaugural meeting in the nation’s capital, garnering a round of applause.
Trump said the amount was a “small number” to help pacify and rebuild the war-torn Gaza Strip.
“When you look at that compared to the cost of war, that’s two weeks of fighting, it’s a very small number,” he told dignitaries from nearly 50 countries. “Sounds like a lot, but it’s a very small number. So we’re committed to $10 billion. Together, we can achieve the dream of bringing lasting harmony to a region tortured by centuries of war.”
The president didn’t say whether the money would come from private donations or government funds and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for clarification.
Some of Trump’s most controversial initiatives — such as his White House ballroom — have been funded by private donations.
The use of taxpayer money would need to be approved by Congress or taken from a federal agency’s existing budget.
Other member nations have pledged $7 billion to the president’s endeavor, which he has said might expand to resolve conflicts beyond the Middle East.
“We’re going to straighten out Gaza, we’re going to make Gaza very successful and safe,” he said. “And we’re also going to maybe take it a step further where if we see hotspots around the world, we can probably do that very easily. This is a tremendous group of powerful people.”
The president also said the board would “strengthen up the United Nations” rather than compete with it, but added the members will be “looking over the United Nations and making sure it runs properly.”
Representatives from at least 48 countries and the European Union attended Thursday morning’s meeting at the Trump Institute of Peace, not far from the White House.