Donald Trump. Photo source: White House
U.S. President’s War-Ender Claim Fizzles in UN Spotlight
Donald J. Trump stepped to the United Nations General Assembly podium on September 23, 2025, with the fervour of a visionary, declaring multiple Nobel Peace Prizes his due for extinguishing “seven un-endable wars”—conflicts he framed as eternal flames doused by his “bold leadership.” From India-Pakistan’s Sindoor ceasefire to Iran’s nuclear shadows and Venezuela’s turbulent seas, he painted a canvas of triumphs, each a stroke of self-painted glory. Yet, the world, longing for genuine healing in a fractured age, hears only echoes—promises that shimmer but seldom solidify.
The White House echoed “stellar statesmanship,” but America’s pulse told a different tale. A September 11-15 Washington Post-Ipsos poll struck like a quiet thunderclap: 76%—from factory floors to family tables—rejected the Nobel bid, with a scant 22% in accord. Republicans, divided 49-49, offered less a rally cry than a hesitant hum. In the land of opportunity, such self-elevation rings hollow when the people yearn for shared ground. White House claimed on September 25 that 57.11% of Americans approve of President Trump! MAGA! Convinced? Which poll puts Trump at this approval rating? Elon Musk’s AI Grok responded to this query on X: “The White House post attributes the 57% figure to Rasmussen Reports, but their latest daily tracking poll (as of Sep 25, 2025) shows 49% approval. I couldn’t find any poll reporting exactly 57.11%. Other recent polls (e.g., Gallup, Reuters/Ipsos) show approvals around 40-45%.”
Pakistan’s Shehbaz Sharif and Asim Munir, during a September 25-26 White House visit, sang Trump’s praises for the Sindoor truce, with Sharif nominating him at UNGA as a “man of peace.” India’s First Secretary at the UN Mission, Petal Gahlot, invoking UNGA’s Right of Reply on September 26, dismantled it as “absurd theatrics.” The ceasefire, post-May 7 terror strikes, was a direct Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) pact, Pakistan pleading for mercy—no external saviour. “Deeds over declarations,” Gahlot urged, calling for terror camps to be shuttered. Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar’s September 16 confession—India spurned third parties—left Sharif and Munir’s flattery exposed, a fragile melody in diplomacy’s grand opera.
As if on cue, the UN’s crackling microphone sputtered mid-boast, and a stalled elevator trapped Trump en route, prompting his angry demand for a probe into the “rigged” tech—machinery itself joining the world’s chuckle at his self-crowned glory. A planet aching for care hears only a soloist’s echo.
Laughter rippled worldwide. France’s President Emmanuel Macron, an ally with a poet’s touch, quipped on BFMTV: “Nobel? Halt Gaza’s war,” glancing at U.S. arms to Israel. When friends tease the conductor, it’s a gentle nudge with profound weight. X hummed with jests: No #NobelFumble stormed, but “Trump’s Nobel? He swapped Defence for War” drew smiles, while Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s nod to Trump and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev for “peace” evoked a wry grin amid old wounds. Trump’s boasts of Iran and Venezuela strikes, woven with “I’ve been right about everything,” birthed memes, labelled “bizarre” with “Peace President” in quotes that whisper irony. Cambodia’s Deputy PM added a nomination, like a footnote in a forgotten fable.
Trump’s peacemaker mantle strains under firepower. Since January 2025, 529 airstrikes—Syria’s sands, Iraq’s echoes, Yemen’s cries, Somalia’s shadows, June’s Iran nuclear blaze—nearly eclipse Biden’s four-year 555 in six short months. Peace forged in flames? It’s a conundrum where explosions eclipse calm. Allies offer faint echoes: Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu, at UNGA on September 26, hailed Iran “promises kept” but faced a delegate exodus, his words fading in vacant halls. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin? His foreign minister’s UN vow of “decisive response” glides past Trump’s overtures like ships in the night. India, post-UNGA’s revelation, received a September 16 birthday call to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his 75th, trade whispers with a peace overtone, a bridge rebuilt after a public rift.
Trump heralds seven wars vanquished, yet July’s $4.9 billion aid slash—USAID stalled for 90 days, UNHCR and World Food Programme hollowed—casts millions in Gaza, Yemen, Afghanistan, and Congo into famine’s shadow, Oxfam foretelling 14 million lives teetering by 2030. Tariffs on India (50%), the European Union, and China inflate costs, ignite 2025 inflation, and tangle supply chains, burdening U.S. families with a $22,000 lifetime toll and a 6% GDP sag. Farmer bailouts? A slender thread in a fraying tapestry. Peace proclaimed, pain inflicted—the discord resonates like a symphony unfinished. His tariffs on pharmaceuticals, furniture and kitchen cabinets, and heavy trucks are absolutely critical because Americans cannot be caught with their antibiotics down!
The world, seeking a leader’s gentle hand, views Trump’s Nobel quest as a diplomatic misstep: 76% of America demurs, Sharif and Munir’s flattery crumbles under India’s UNGA truths, airstrikes surpass Biden’s measure, and policies promise harmony while delivering hardship. Netanyahu’s nod dissolves in walkouts, Putin’s pass exudes etiquette, and Modi’s birthday call hints at mending. Power yearns for deeds that unite, not boasts that divide. Stockholm’s glance? A courteous avert, leaving Trump’s peace vision the quiet jest in a global sigh.
*Senior journalist
