Trump Admits Hoping for Personal Payout from 'Board of Peace'

The former president claimed he expected to be paid for leading the newly named Donald J. Trump U.S. Institute of Peace.

Published on Feb. 25, 2026

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In his first meeting of the Board of Peace, former President Donald Trump admitted that he had hoped to personally profit from the organization, stating "You could always use some extra cash." Trump also claimed that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had secretly named the building after him, despite Trump saying he had no involvement in the naming.

Why it matters

Trump's comments raise ethical concerns about his motivations for leading the Board of Peace and suggest he may have expected personal financial gain, rather than focusing solely on the organization's stated mission of promoting global peace and diplomacy.

The details

During the meeting, Trump said he believed the Board of Peace was "the most consequential board" and that "almost everybody's accepted" his invitations to join. However, he also acknowledged that "a few that we really don't want because they're trouble" would need to be "take[n] care of." Trump further claimed that Rubio had secretly named the building after him, despite Trump saying he had no prior knowledge of the name change.

  • The Board of Peace meeting took place on Thursday, February 19, 2026.

The players

Donald Trump

The former president of the United States who opened the first meeting of the Board of Peace and admitted he hoped to personally profit from the organization.

Marco Rubio

The current Secretary of State who Trump claimed had secretly named the building housing the Board of Peace after the former president.

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What they’re saying

“I thought they were going to give me a lot of money or something, maybe cash. You could always use some extra cash.”

— Donald Trump, Former President (rawstory.com)

The takeaway

Trump's comments raise serious ethical concerns about his motivations for leading the Board of Peace, suggesting he may have expected personal financial gain rather than a genuine commitment to promoting global peace and diplomacy.