President Donald Trump delivered a speech that raised a few eyebrows, as he claimed he had a part to play in stopping a war that didn’t exist in the first place.
On Saturday 20, the US president spoke at the American Cornerstone Institute Founder’s Dinner, in which he praised the efforts of his administration, which included him telling attendees that he deserves a Nobel Prize for allegedly “ending seven wars”. One of these wars he claimed to have had a hand in stopping was between Cambodia and Armenia, two countries that sit 4,000 miles apart.
In his speech he said: “Think of India and Pakistan. Think of that. And you know how I stopped that – with trade. They want to trade. And I have great respect for both leaders. But when you take a look at all of these wars that we’ve stopped.”
His claim was that trade has been instrumental in resolving conflicts around the world. He added: “Just look at that. India, Pakistan, Thailand, Cambodia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kosovo and Serbia, Israel and Iran, Egypt and Ethiopia, Rwanda and the Congo.
“We stopped all of them. And 60% of them were stopped because of trade.” Further humiliating himself, the president explained: “Like with India, I said, ‘Look, we’re not going to do any trade if you’re going to fight and they have nuclear weapons.’ They stopped.”
The big mistake was him stating that his trade plans were significant in the “war” between Cambodia and Armenia. Trump misspoke, saying: “It was just starting, and it was a bad one.
Although what he may have meant to praise were his efforts in the long-standing border crisis between Cambodia and Thailand in July. Their ongoing conflict stemmed from territorial disputes in relation to their shared border, particularly in the area close to Preah Vihear temple.
At the time of the dispute, Trump claimed to have spoken to the leaders of both countries in a bid to stop the tension. He warned that the US would refuse to negotiate a trade deal with both sides until the conflict was put to an end, as they faced the prospect of a 36% US tariff.
On his social media site, Truth Social, Trump wrote: “I called the prime ministers of each and said, ‘We’re not going to make a trade deal unless you settle a war.’ A lot people killed. I think by the time I got off, I think they wanted to settle.”
X users were quick to poke fun at the president, with one person writing: “Embarrassing. Trump invents wars that never existed and claims credit for “stopping” them. He’s not a statesman—he’s a drunk uncle with a globe.”
Another person mocked: “Maybe next week Trump will take credit for ending the war between Poland and Pluto.”
Someone else added: “Trump’s so lost on global affairs he thinks Cambodia and Armenia are beefing, must be confusing them with his own endless wars on facts and reality.”
The president also told attendees about his plans to attend the memorial service of the conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed on September 10. He later attended the event on Sunday, where he gave another speech calling the right-wing political activist an “American hero”.
In his tribute, he said: “Charlie’s murder was not just an attack on one man or one movement. It was an attack on our entire nation. That was a horrible attack on the United States of America.
“It was an assault on our most sacred liberties and God-given rights. The gun was pointed at him, but the bullet was aimed at all of us. That bullet was aimed at every one of us.”