Board of Peace: White House Pushes Back on Reports of USD 1,000,000,000 Membership Fee

The White House is pushing back against reports that countries must pay $1 billion to join Donald Trump's proposed Board of Peace, describing the figure as inaccurate and stressing there is no fixed minimum fee for membership, even as the emerging structure and financing terms draw interest from diplomats and markets.

Responding on X, the White House argued that membership is based on political commitment rather than set cash thresholds, stating that "This simply offers permanent membership to partner countries who demonstrate deep commitment to peace, security, and prosperity," in an effort to calm concerns that only wealthy governments can gain lasting influence inside the proposed body.

A draft charter seen by Bloomberg describes how the Board of Peace would operate, naming Donald Trump as the first chairman with authority to decide which countries receive invitations, while allocating one vote per member state on decisions, subject to final approval by the chair, combining centralised control with formal voting rights for all participants.

The same draft explains that the Board of Peace would become a full international organisation once three countries ratify the charter, and it also links the Gaza-focused initiative to former banker and Padma Shri awardee Ajay Banga, whose reported association, along with political resistance from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, signals early diplomatic sensitivity around Donald Trump's Gaza Peace Board plan.

Membership duration and renewal rights form a key part of the governance design, with an ordinary term of up to three years that can be extended if the chair agrees, but with different treatment for states making very large financial contributions during the first year after the charter takes effect.

Aspect	Board of Peace rule
Standard membership term	No more than three years from the Charter's entry into force
Term renewal	Possible, at the discretion of the Chairman
Exception for major contributors	Three-year limit does not apply above $1,000,000,000 in first year

The draft text spells out the financial exception in detail, stating that "Each Member State shall serve a term of no more than three years from this Charter's entry into force, subject to renewal by the Chairman. The three-year membership term shall not apply to Member States that contribute more than $1,000,000,000 in cash funds to the Board of Peace within the first year of the Charter's entry into force," which has reinforced concerns about money shaping access.

Some analysts argue that Donald Trump appears to be designing an institution that could sit alongside or in competition with the United Nations, which Trump has criticised before, even as the charter defines the Board of Peace as "an international organization that seeks to promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict."

When pressed about the reported $1 billion figure, the US state department directed journalists to earlier social media posts by Donald Trump and special envoy Steve Witkoff that outlined the Board of Peace concept but did not mention any specific fee, leaving financial expectations under the draft charter under examination by governments and policy experts monitoring Donald Trump's Gaza Peace Board plan.