President Donald Trump, chairman of the newly minted Board of Peace, said Thursday in Davos that the board has the opportunity “to be one of the most consequential bodies ever created.”
Trump’s remarks came during the Board of Peace charter announcement, which launched the body, a day after his historic speech at the World Economic Forum. Leaders from member countries joined the president on stage at the event on Thursday.
“This board has the chance to be one of the most consequential bodies ever created, and it’s my enormous honor to serve as its chairman. I was very honored when they asked me to do it,” he said.
“We had an idea to do it, and then they came, they said, ‘Would you be the chairman?’… I take it very seriously,” he added. “We have a great group of people and incredible young people that are leading it from within.”
Trump quipped that he has an affinity for all the members on stage.
“In this group, I like every single one of them. Can you believe it? Usually, I have about two or three that I can’t stand. Usually, I have two or three that I don’t like. I don’t find them up here. I like every one of these people… They’re great leaders,” he said.
One area of focus for the board is Gaza, on the heels of Trump’s 20-point Middle East peace deal in October, which Hamas agreed to:
The first steps toward a brighter day for the Middle East and a much safer future for the world are unfolding right before your very eyes. Together, we are are in a position to have an incredible chance — I don’t even call it a chance; I think it’s going to happen — to end decades of suffering, stop generations of hatred and bloodshed, and forge a beautiful, everlasting and glorious peace for that region and for the whole region of the world.
Trump lauded each member of the board who was on hand in Davos as a “star.”
“When you use that genius that you have, that very unusual, very inspired genius, when you use that for peace, the opposite of peace has no chance,” he said.
The group’s membership includes leaders from “Bahrain, Morocco, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan… Bulgaria, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Mongolia, Pakistan, Paraguay, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, UAE, Uzbekistan,” according to the White House press pool.
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