Trump Suffers Stunning Diplomatic Snub As Allies Stay Away From His Big Signing Ceremony

Trump got an underwhelming turnout for his "Board of Peace."


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President Trump on Thursday hosted the launch ceremony for what he calls his “Board of Peace” in Davos, Switzerland, which is meant to oversee reconstruction in Gaza. And what was notable was the underwhelming turnout, which did not include most major longstanding U.S. allies.

Per CNBC, the nations that participated included Argentina, Paraguay, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Hungary, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Pakistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Mongolia. Russia’s Vladimir Putin had been invited to join the ceremony, but Russia did not send a representative.

Trump reportedly demanded a $1 billion fee for countries to join the board.

Absent were Canada and any countries in Western Europe. Per The Daily Beast, the fewer than 20 countries represented a smaller turnout than the 35 that had been expected.

The meeting was dominated by Trump loyalists.

“Everyone of them’s a friend of mine,” Trump said from the stage, the Beast said. “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… they’re great people,” he added. “They’re great leaders.”
The Beast noted that “at several points throughout the signing ceremony, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt appeared to be the only person in the room loudly applauding before others slowly joined in.”
A lot of people on social media mocked the spectacle:

Photo courtesy of an X screenshot. 

Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, technology, and the economy.

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