Commentary by Stephen Macaulay

On January 7, The New York Times conducted an interview with President Donald Trump. In it there is the following exchange:

• Katie Rogers: “Do you see any checks on your power on the world stage? Is there anything that could stop you if you wanted to?”
• Donald Trump: “Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me, and that’s very good.”
• Zolan Kanno-Youngs: “Not international law?”
• Donald Trump: “I don’t need international law. I’m not looking to hurt people. I’m not looking to kill people. I’ve ended—remember this, I’ve ended eight wars. Nobody else has ever done that. I’ve ended eight wars and didn’t get the Nobel Peace Prize.”

Now there’s the bit about his “morality.” Let’s not forget that he was found liable for sexual abuse and defamation by a federal jury in the E. Jean Carroll case in 2023.

And just as people judge you by the words you use, they also judge you by the company you keep, so the association that Donald Trump had with Jeffrey Epstein must make one wonder about that moral compass. (Did Trump stop associating with Epstein because of Epstein’s behavior? In July 2025 Trump told reporters: "People were taken out of the spa — hired by him — in other words, gone. And other people would come and complain, ‘This guy is taking people from the spa.' I didn't know that. And then when I heard about it, I told him, I said, 'Listen, we don't want you taking our people, whether it was spa or not spa, I don't want them taking people.' And he was fine. And then not too long after that, he did it again. And I said, 'Out of here.' " He admitted the people who Epstein took from Mar-a-Lago were young women. Clearly this was transactional, not moral.)

As for his “own mind,” let’s not forget that he has repeatedly referred to himself as “very smart,” “really smart,” having a “very good brain,” and being a “very stable genius.” He has often cited the cognitive tests he has “aced” (“Person. Woman. Man. Camera. TV.”)

Makes you wonder who he is trying to convince: Himself or everyone else?

Then there are the “eight wars” he claims to have ended.

These are not “wars” in the context that, say, the Russia-Ukraine War is a war (one that he was going to end almost immediately and hasn’t done much of anything to even de-escalate the fighting). And “ended” is a bit nebulous.

1. Israel and Hamas. There was a ceasefire signed in October. There are still airstrikes and other military and paramilitary activities going on there.
2. Israel and Iran. The bombing of the Iranian nuclear installations by US aircraft seem to have shown Iranian leaders the US is serious about not wanting any fighting going on. That seems to have worked.
3. India and Pakistan. Again, not a “war” in the sense that most people consider that term. But there were aerial battles between the two countries. Terms of a ceasefire were reached. Trump claims he is responsible for it. The Indian government claims credit. But if “ending war” means “peace,” they’re far from it.
4. Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. There was an agreement signed at the White House. But reportedly the Rwandan-backed M23 rebels are still at it.
5. Thailand and Cambodia. The two conducted a border war in 2025. On October 26 President Trump was involved in the signing of the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accord. How are things working out? Well, according to the State Department’s website, currently, “The US Embassy continues to monitor the Thailand-Cambodia border. Thailand and Cambodia issued a joint statement on December 27, 2025, announcing a ceasefire and efforts to de-escalate the situation. The security situation along the border is still unpredictable and US citizens should therefore continue to avoid all travel within 50 kilometers of the Thailand-Cambodia border.” Not tranquil.
6. Armenia and Azerbaijan. This one could be real.
7. Egypt and Ethiopia. This one isn’t real. There is a diplomatic dispute about the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which was 14 years in the making, and which was fully put into use in 2025, no fighting.
8. Serbia and Kosovo. Yes, the two were at war. In 1998-1999. The two countries are at serious odds with one another. But can you actually “end” a “war” that’s not a war?

Which leads us to the disturbing letter he sent to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, which opens:

“Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America.”

He no longer feels “an obligation to think purely of Peace”?

As he claims to be guided not by law but by his own morality and his own mind, clearly this is not a good sign for a man who seems to have had a bit of trouble in both areas.

Macaulay is pundit-at-large for The Hustings.