President Donald Trump on Thursday said his Board of Peace not only will work with the United Nations on Gaza's future, the board will make sure the international organization "runs properly."
Speaking at the inaugural Board of Peace gathering at the Donald J. Trump U.S. Institute of Peace, Trump argued the U.N. has "tremendous potential" but has "not lived up to that potential."
He touted the new board as an action-oriented alternative to decades of what he portrayed as empty global talk.
"We’re going to be working with the United Nations very closely," Trump said in opening remarks shown live on Newsmax, adding that the Board of Peace will "almost be looking over the United Nations and making sure it runs properly," while the U.S. helps the U.N. "moneywise" and works to strengthen its facilities and operations.
Trump framed the board as a results-driven forum aimed at securing a durable postwar plan for Gaza after a ceasefire took hold last fall.
The board's first meeting took place with major unresolved issues still looming, including Hamas disarmament, Israeli troop withdrawals, humanitarian aid distribution, and the size and structure of a reconstruction fund expected to require tens of billions of dollars.
Trump, however, portrayed momentum as building.
He said the war in Gaza "is over" and pointed to a growing list of member nations pledging funds, personnel, and training for an international stabilization effort, while warning Hamas that any refusal to disarm would be "harshly met."
The president also used the gathering to praise his envoys and inner circle for what he called major diplomatic breakthroughs.
"I want to thank Steve and Jared for an amazing job," he said, referring to special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, whom Trump credited with helping deliver the Abraham Accords in his first term.
Trump then appeared to elevate Kushner's role even further, saying Kushner "will also now be an envoy for peace."
But that claim quickly earned clarification. I24 News correspondent Mordechai Wagenheim posted on X that a State Department official told him Kushner "will not become 'an envoy for peace' in an official sense," despite Trump’s remarks.
The broader initiative has drawn international attention and skepticism partly because it touches the U.N.'s traditional role as the world's primary diplomatic platform.
Some U.S. allies have declined to join, while others have participated only as observers, raising questions about legitimacy and long-term structure.
Still, Trump’s message Thursday was that America is leading, demanding accountability, and pushing institutions like the U.N. to deliver measurable results — with the president insisting that peace, not endless bureaucracy, should be the international system’s bottom line.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.