Embarrassing Meeting Of Trump's 'Board Of Peace' Proves What His Goal Was All Along

While Donald Trump's quest for a Nobel Peace Prize ended in an hand-me-down, his plans for a "Board of Peace" came to fruition on February 19, 2026. However, its first meeting was tinged with embarrassment even before it began. After careful consideration, the Vatican declined its invite, concerned that Trump was competing with the United Nations. For the handful of countries that did accept, one thing quickly became clear: Trump's ego was the main agenda. The event was held at the recently renamed Donald J. Trump United States Institute of Peace –- one of many times Trump's ego took the wheel when naming things. The president unconvincingly tried to downplay this fact during his remarks, claiming, "Nobody knew what to name it, and then Marco named it after me. I had nothing to do with it" (via X). However, the institute has been around since the 1980s, so clearly it was doing just fine without any presidential names.

Trump also subjected attendees to a cringy photo op with "November Rain" by Guns N' Roses playing in the background. Besides being an odd soundtrack, Axl Rose has a long history of being upset when Trump uses his music.

"Does everybody like the music?" — Guns & Roses plays in the background as Trump and Vance pose with the "Board of Peace" pic.twitter.com/WTqzRfSydO

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 19, 2026

Trump's remarks took an even weirder turn when he talked about learning his name was added to the building. "I thought they were gonna give me a lot of money or something," he confessed. "Maybe cash. Can always use some extra cash." Then again, with a billion-dollar fee for permanent membership, there's definitely potential for a lot of money to be exchanged.

Donald Trump's ego is also taking precedence in more subtle ways with the "Board of Peace." His name is mentioned frequently in the fine print outlining the organization's procedures. Trump's position as chairman of the board is full of perks, including the power to have the final say on policy and remain in the job until he decides to pick a replacement.

Not surprisingly, the first meeting contained a roundup of the usual awkward details. Trump has a history of difficulty pronouncing words like "acetaminophen" as well as the names of foreign dignitaries, and he made similar mistakes during the "Board of Peace" gathering. To make matters worse, instead of apologizing and learning the correct pronunciation, the president was dismissive. "He's got one of the most difficult names in history, but it's okay," Trump remarked about Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev (via the Mirror). "It doesn't matter." Later, as the meeting stretched on, Trump's sleepy behavior resurfaced when he wasn't the one in front of the mic.

However, these blunders didn't alienate the countries that came to the meeting; the attendees ignored them and pumped up the president's ego by addressing Trump in flattering language. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, president of Kazakhstan, glazed Trump extra hard when he suggested creating a peace award with Trump's name on it, adding (via X), "Under your strong leadership the board of peace will successfully deliver its great noble mission." That may be "noble" instead of "Nobel," but perhaps Trump will overlook the difference.