War and violence Prince of peace my ass - Trump promised peace that never came

During the election campaign, Donald Trump presented himself as a "peacemaker" and "unifier" who could end wars in an instant. The ongoing violence in Gaza, Ukraine and Iran clearly speaks against this.

"Before I even get to the Oval Office, I will end the terrible war in Ukraine," Donald Trump announces in March 2023. "Totally settled - I will do it within 24 hours. I say that and I will do it. It's simple: I'll get it done in 24 hours."

He knew both Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky, the then Republican presidential candidate continued: "As the Bible says, blessed are the peacemakers. Do you hear that? And I will be your peacemaker! And I have been your peacemaker."

Trump is truly inspired by this biblical idea, as a clip from the fall of 2023 shows: "Blessed are the peacemakers," the New Yorker repeats in mid-September. "Do you remember what Hillary [Clinton] said? 'He's going to take us to war'. No, I got us out of all those wars."

"I will prevent the Third World War"

Trump mentions Syria and Iraq. "I have protected Israel. Otherwise you would have a big problem. But I will be your peacemaker, and I'm the only candidate who can promise you that: I will prevent World War III. We are very close to World War III."

On October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists attack civilians in Israel: This would not have happened if he had been in office - this would also apply to the war that Russia launched on February 24, 2022.

These promises are well received: In November 2024, Donald Trump wins the presidential race with Kamala Harris. So it's time for Trump's peace dividend.

"We will measure our success by the wars we end"

On January 20, Trump moves into the White House: "We will measure our success not only by the battles we win, but also by the wars we end, and perhaps most importantly, by the wars we never get into. My proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier, that's what I want to be," he says.

This motto has been a recurring theme throughout the first days of his presidency: the White House has been spreading it repeatedly on X - sometimes with a photo showing Trump with his religious followers.

The problem: the war in Ukraine did not end on February 8. And not even on April 22 after 100 days in office, when Trump gives an interview to "Time". "Well, I said that figuratively, and I said that as hyperbole to make a point," he says.

Promised peace in Ukraine 53 times - broken

He continues, "Of course people know I said that in jest, but it was also said that it will be ended." CNN calculates that the president has promised at least 53 times to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours.

The mediation attempts between Moscow and Kiev are more of a joke, with Trump primarily meeting the demands of the Russian side. Not even a ceasefire has been achieved because Washington has refused to exert even the slightest pressure on Moscow. As a result, peace is now further away than ever.

Trump is also not ending Israel's war in Gaza, as he promised during the election campaign. Instead, he is bringing the mass deportation of Palestinians into play in order to turn the Gaza Strip into the "Riviera of the Middle East".

Trump's Kashmir lie and another war by Israel

And then there is the skirmish between the nuclear powers India and Pakistan between 7 and 10 May: if the US president is to be believed, Trump has ended the fighting that flared up after a terrorist attack in Kashmir.

But talk of his good offices is a lie: the two countries have not spoken to the White House. Nevertheless, the 78-year-old is constantly repeating his fairy tale - even when he meets the leaders of completely different states such as the President of South Africa.

And now Israel is attacking Iran, although the White House was of course informed of the air strikes in advance: although Trump had previously spoken out against an attack by Tehran, he is now not only praising Jerusalem's actions, but is also sending tanker planes to the Middle East.

"Violence is increasingly determining political life"

Either Washington wants to support Israel or take action against Iran itself. There are also threats to annex Canada, Greenland and the area around the Panama Canal. The fact is: the world has not become more peaceful since Donald Trump took office. On the contrary.

Kathleen Toria McFarland advocates giving Trump a little more time. When she served under Ronald Reagan, people initially underestimated him as a "cowboy", says the conservative consultant to the BBC. "At the end of the administration, the Soviet Union collapsed," the 73-year-old recalls. Trump must "always be taken seriously".

But there are concerns - on both the left and the right. "Trump, a self-proclaimed peacemaker, is being drawn into foreign entanglements", notes the conservative Wall Street Journal. "From Gaza to Ukraine to Iran, Trump's 'peacemaker' pledge is failing," writes the liberal Guardian.

Nor is Trump acting as a "unifier", as the "No Kings" protests, which have attracted millions of people in over 2,000 locations in the USA, show. Stephen Marche, author of "The Next Civil War", warns in the Guardian of further escalations: "Violence is increasingly defining political life in America."