The Booby Prize

​In 2023, María Corina Machado won the opposition party’s primary to be its candidate in Venezuela’s presidential election the following year.  However, she was barred holding public office for 15 years because of violations during her years as a legislator.  She named a “placeholder” to lead her party instead – and when the party won, the Maduro government claimed it was illegal (gee…where on Earth would they get that concept from?) and took power.  She went into hiding and subsequently won the Nobel Peace Prize.  A prize she dedicated to Trump, which he’s taken as meaning he sort of is a co-winner of it.  Which, of course, he isn’t.

When Trump had the military kidnap Maduro, he endorsed Maduro’s second-in-command  Delcy Rodriguez who is carrying on all his exact same dictatorial policies and brutality, rather than getting behind Ms. Machado, while being critical of her and ignoring her party's legitimate victory.  (Gee...where on Earth would he get that concept from?)  And all the while, still talking about how she had said he deserved to share the Nobel Peace Prize with her.  Which, of course, he didn’t.  But when you’re trying to coddle favor with the malignant narcissist who has dementia in order to hopefully help take your rightful place leading your country, world leaders have long since learn what you say to Trump to make the infantile happy.

Yesterday, Ms. Machado met with Trump and gave him possession of her Nobel Peace Prize.  Shocking no one, he accepted it and tweeted out his utter joy at the supposed honor of someone giving him their prize to keep.  He wrote about the woman who he had previously disparaged –

“It was my Great Honor to meet María Corina Machado, of Venezuela, today. María presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect.”

Which, of course, it isn’t.

I completely understand why Venezuela's María Corina Machado "gave" Trump her Nobel medal. But it's pathetic. Pathetic she felt she had to, to get Trump to "like her" -- and pathetic that she actually did so, because it was a truly terrible job reading the room.  And -- in stating the blatantly obvious -- no matter how much Trump now seems to think that he received the Nobel Peace Prize…what he got was a shiny piece of metal.  A gewgaw that sparkles in the sun and is a really cool thing to have in his memento box.

Of course, as any rational person knows, but Trump in his childish obsessions has never grasped, you only win a Nobel Prize when the Nobel Awards committee literally votes it.  In fact, if that isn't obvious enough to even the most clueless and needy soul, the Nobel Awards committee itself publicly stated the other day, in anticipation of this:  “A medal can change owners, but the title of a Nobel Peace Prize laureate cannot.  The decision is final and stands for all time."

Well, that's pretty clear.  And obvious.

What the inner-child – and outer-child – of Trump can’t figure out that if someone wins an Academy Award and gives the statuette to you, that does not actually make you an Oscar-winner.  If someone wins the Most Valuable Player Award in baseball and gives their trophy to you, that doesn’t make you the best ballplayer in the league.  If someone wins the Super Bowl and gives you their ring, that doesn’t make you the world champion.

And  yes, I know that I am stating not just the obvious, but the idiotically obvious.  But it bears repeating because it’s not obvious to Trump who does seem to think he received the Nobel Prize. (Or, to anybody desperately trying to put the very best spin on this, that Trump even thinks he was presented with an honor of anything to share).  He got a nice, shiny bauble.  A hand-me-down.

Not only did Trump not "get" the Nobel Peace Prize, he got something below even a grade school participation trophy.  At least when little kids are given that, they actually did play in the game.  Trump, though, was merely given an object that someone else won.  With their name on it.  Which he considers a "Great Honor."  And a "gesture of mutual respect".  Because, yeah, that's what he thinks re-gifting is...

And lest anyone thing this is too hyperbolic about Trump – putting aside that you haven’t been paying attention to who Trump is and what a malignant narcissist he is, who has dementia – just a reminder that when he first ran for president, a former solider who had received the Purple Heart gave his medal to Trump at a campaign rally.  And Trump – who got multiple deferments from the military for supposed “bone spurs” – said, “I always wanted to get the Purple Heart. This was much easier.”

In fairness, he was right about one thing:  it was much easier being handed a Purple Heart this way.  Risking death, saving others and getting injured is such a bother.  For that matter, he was right, too, about always wanting to get the Purple Heart, because Trump has shown he wants to get every award.  He wants and needs for everyone to think he's the greatest at everything.

And so, there was Trump, thinking he “got” the Purple Heart. So happy, so thrilled, But then, like any little child on Christmas morning, Trump takes getting gifts very seriously.  And can show them off to all the adults around him in the room.

But there's another issue at play here.  Because as much as María Corina Machado felt it was important to her getting Trump to like her in her hope to become president of Venezuela – and rightly felt that, because Trump is infantile and has dementia -- it’s still pathetic that it came to this and that she gave him her treasured medal.  Pathetic because, as much as it's understandable why she felt this was necessary, what does she think Trump can do for her??  He can't install her to power.  Those in power in Venezuela are backed by the military and aren't inclined to hand it to her.  He can "endorse" her, if he was even inclined to, which he doesn't appear to be since he's already endorsed Delcy Rodriguez, dictator Maduro's #2.  (In fact, while Trump was meeting with Ms. Machado, the CIA director was meeting with Rodriguez.)  For that matter, Trump hasn't even pushed for Venezuela to schedule any elections.  And most of all, Trump met with oil company executives before he met with Maria Corina Machado!  He has made abundantly clear that all he's really interested in is Venezuela's oil.  Not who the rightful elected president is.

Pathetic because, as much as it's understandable why she felt it was necessary to give Trump her Nobel medal, she hasn't been paying attention.  Because as Ben Rhodes, former Deputy National Security Advisor for President Obama said yesterday, when you bend your knee to Trump, "He doesn’t respect you.  He comes back at you to take more away from you, including your dignity."

By the way, the winner of a Nobel Prize also gets a million dollars.  At least María Corina Machado did not give that to Trump.  I don’t know if he’s aware of the monetary award – but for Ms. Machado’s sake, I hope he isn't because he’ll likely demand half of that to keep liking her.