United Nations, Feb 20 (NationPress) - The President of the United States, Donald Trump, is endeavoring to establish his Board of Peace (BoP) as a dominant global organization that would oversee the United Nations while expanding its mission beyond Gaza, which was its original purpose. “The Board of Peace is going to almost be looking over the United Nations and making sure it runs properly,” he stated during the inaugural meeting of the group on Thursday.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, deftly avoided addressing Trump’s claim by referencing the UN Charter. “What is clear, if you look at the Charter of the UN, which remains our guiding principle, the work of the UN is overseen by Member States through the General Assembly and the Security Council,” he remarked when questioned about Trump’s assertion during a press briefing.

Trump acknowledged the Security Council's endorsement of the BoP to facilitate a ceasefire in Gaza and support its reconstruction, albeit with a limited mandate. He expressed his aspirations for the BoP by stating, “I think we can spread out to other things as we succeed with Gaza.”

Following Gaza, he mentioned, “We can do numerous other things.” “We can do pretty much whatever we want to do. And we’ll do it in conjunction with the United Nations,” he added, reiterating his critique of the UN for not fulfilling its potential.

The primary reason for the UN’s inability to resolve conflicts is the veto power held by the five permanent members, including the US, which constrains the Security Council's capacity to act. In contrast, Trump said he would leverage the economic, political, and military strength of the US to support his diplomatic efforts.

Nonetheless, the President remarked that the UN possesses “tremendous potential” and contains “some very good people at the United Nations”, pledging to assist in its enhancement. The UN is experiencing financial difficulties, as the US has not fulfilled its financial obligations, accumulating a debt of approximately $4 billion. Officials have cautioned that it could face insolvency mid-year if payments from Washington are not made.

Trump stated, “They need help, and they need help money-wise. We’re going to help them money-wise, and we’re going to make sure the United Nations is viable.” However, he did not guarantee the release of UN dues, even though Congress has largely approved them. “We’re going to strengthen up the United Nations,” he asserted.

As is customary for him, Trump framed his intentions to assist the UN in light of his legacy, suggesting, “Someday, I won’t be here. The United Nations will be. I think, (it) is going to be much stronger.” He added, “I think it’s going to eventually live up to potential. That’ll be a big day.”

Trump indicated he would contact Guterres “in a little while.” Dujarric commented, “We’re expecting a call,” but as of Thursday night (local time), there was no indication of a conversation between Trump and Guterres, who is currently in India for the AI impact summit.

Trump described Guterres as a “good man” with whom he has “had a good relationship.” However, he quickly returned to his grievances regarding a malfunctioning escalator and the teleprompter during his visit to the UN headquarters in September for the General Assembly.

He recounted, “They did turn off my teleprompter,” and “I had an escalator that stopped.” “Lucky my movie star First Lady was in front of me because I put my hand on a certain part of her body” to stabilize her when the escalator halted, “just boom.” Recently, Amazon launched a documentary featuring Melania Trump, portraying her as a “movie star” for Trump.

Prior to his complaints about the teleprompter and the escalator, Trump stated, “We’re going to make sure its facilities are good.”