Trump's Latest Shakedown
The president just upped the ante
Donald Trump is not blowing up NATO by accident. He is not threatening tariffs on European allies because he is impulsive. And he is not floating bizarre new global bodies where nations pay billions for access because he suddenly cares about peace.
This is a strategy. A crude one, but coherent. And it is designed to replace alliances with tribute.
Trump’s foreign policy vision is not based on shared values, mutual defense, or democratic norms. It is based on leverage, punishment, and payment. If you comply, you are rewarded with protection. If you resist, you are economically disciplined. And if you dare to oppose him — on Ukraine, on Gaza, on Greenland, or on the very idea of multilateralism — you are reminded that the United States now behaves less like a partner and more like a mob boss.
The latest proof is the administration’s proposal to create a so-called “Board of Peace” where countries would have to pay $1 billion to secure or retain a permanent seat — with Trump positioning himself as the board’s first chairman. The Board of Peace has an executive board, to which the White House just named its initial seven members. Among them are Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, his Secretary of State/National Security Advisor/Western Hemisphere Viceroy Marco Rubio, his cryptofund investor Steve Witkoff, his megadonor Marc Rowan, a former Fox News producer and Tony Blair.
Member states would serve three-year terms that could be renewed only if they make the $1 billion contribution. Decisions by the board would be made by majority vote but ultimately subject to the chairman’s approval. Needless to say, Trump has failed to outline who would manage this money, where it would be kept and how it would be spent.
What the “Board of Peace” proposal fails to note is that the “Chairman” also has a family crypto fund where nations can deposit unlimited amounts of money to curry favor without anyone being the wiser.
This is not diplomacy. It is racketeering dressed up as international governance.
It gets worse.