Surrounded by dozens of world leaders, President Donald Trump hosted the inaugural meeting of his newly-formed Board of Peace, but the absence of top world leaders — including many U.S. allies — was conspicuous.
The British government, one of America’s closest allies, has said it will not join. So have France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Poland, Ukraine, Austria, Ireland, New Zealand, Slovenia, and the Vatican, according to TIME. Some, such as Italy, Germany, Japan, and the European Union, were expected to send representatives to attend as observers.
Canada, once a top U.S. ally — its citizens now largely rejecting that relationship — said it would join but Trump rescinded his invitation to Prime Minister Mark Carney after his widely-heralded remarks at Davos rejecting “American hegemony.”
According to The Guardian, “major European allies declined to join the group and criticised the organisation’s murky funding and political mandate.”
So conspicuous was the absence of some top allies and world powers that Trump appeared to be bothered by it, as they stood together for a traditional group photo.
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“I believe it’s the most consequential board,” Trump said in his opening remarks on stage.
“Certainly, in terms of power, and in terms of prestige, there’s never been anything close, because these are the greatest world leaders, almost everybody’s accepted, and the ones that haven’t will be,” he insisted, despite rejections by about a dozen nations — some of whom cited the existence of the United Nations.
“Some are playing a little cute — doesn’t work,” Trump said. “Can’t play cute with me.”
“They’re playing a little bit, but, uh, they’re all — they’re all joining. Everybody has, most of them very immediately,” he claimed.
Some critics were quick to ridicule Trump’s remarks.
“No American leader has so consistently and thoroughly embarrassed himself and our country on the global stage,” wrote former top Obama strategist and advisor David Axelrod, who added, parenthetically, “Which may be why the majority of world leaders are absent from today’s exercise in self-exaltation.”
Trump: These are the greatest world leaders, almost everybody that has accepted and ones that haven’t will be, some are playing a little cute, you can’t play cute with me. pic.twitter.com/BfVq88haNF
— Acyn (@Acyn) February 19, 2026
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Image via Reuters
