Venezuela’s opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Machado played US President Trump at the White House last week. Trump has spent the entire first year of his second term working on that illusory Nobel Peace prize yet never realizing that it does not count when the Nobel committee does not bestow it.
Additionally, I assume that he did not get the money that goes with the prize. I suppose to appease his vanity a secondhand medal is something which may put his ambitions to rest. Any normal person would have accepted this gesture by the real Nobel laureate graciously, paying respects to the benefactor and then returning the favor by expressing his admiration for the efforts of the real winner. But not Trump. He simply kept the prize believing that he had earned it.
The medal itself is gold and worth some money, perhaps even one million dollars or more. However, it cannot be transferred according to the rules, but it has been quite often, mostly sold by Nobel recipients in need of cash. Trump is a businessman and a narcissist. Machado appealed to both.
What does she expect as remuneration? Any attempt to be placed in a position of power in Venezuela probably is unrealistic since she would insist that Venezuelan oil remain with the people in Venezuela. That simply is not why Trump chose to invade Venezuela. The people of Venezuela and democracy be damned. Trump’s invasion was oil. In any event putting Machado in power without American boots on the ground is not realistic. The Maduro regime holds power and guns.
This is as close as Trump will ever get to the Nobel Peace medal. The Nobel Committee is well aware of Trump’s disingenuous peace efforts. As to Ukraine Trump has sided at all times with the aggressor. He bombed Iran, a terrorist country but nevertheless a sovereign state. His invasion of Venezuela contravened all international law. In both cases the message to authoritarian imperialists is that imperialism is OK. His bizarre demands upon Greenland and even Canada were well beyond any civilized leader. The Machado medal will have to suffice.
As far as Ukraine is concerned, Trump’s efforts and message have only emboldened the aggressor. Putin has had little and very costly success on the front lines. Still with impunity he has been permitted to focus on distant targets including some very close and even crossing into NATO territory.
Putin’s modus operandi includes not only drones but medium range ballistic missiles. Trump has not condemned this activity and has often served to justify Putin’s criminal behavior. No further sanctions have been imposed on Russia and no arms have been delivered to Ukraine. In fact, Trump has acted more like Putin’s ally than his adversary.
It is anticipated with Trump’s Immigration and Customs’ Enforcement shooting innocent Americans that Trump will be somewhat but not literally shackled in the early part of 2027 with his first impeachment of second term but Trump thrives on escaping the law. To date he is the only American president to have been impeached twice.
With a surrogate in the Senate such as Lindsey Graham and John Roberts in the Supreme Court Trump still has a chance to bring America to its knees. On the other hand, much of what he does and says is questionable bluster. He couldn’t bring down Canada nor will he succeed in Greenland. Yet the experiment to bring down American democracy and global leadership continues.
Aside from this bizarre American chaos, the people of Ukraine continue with much help from Europe to stave off the evil Russian scourge. Changes are taking place in Ukraine’s upper ranks with no break in the defensive war effort. In fact, the changes have been very democratic and dignified.
Ukraine has become a symbol for the world as one of the future leaders of NATO, the EU and the paragon of the people’s will. The obstacles that Ukraine overcomes on a daily basis seem overwhelming. Yet Ukraine does it with decorum and humanity.
The views expressed in this opinion article are the author’s and not necessarily those of Kyiv Post.