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Hey, he even has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame! And believe it or not, he has won a Nobel Prize, something he so desired! Oh, wait, my mistake. What Donald Trump actually won was an Ig Nobel Prize, which, perhaps you wont be surprised to learn, is a distinctly satirical award. And dont forget that, among his many honors, is the Collar of the Order of Abdulaziz al Saud, awarded to him by Saudi Arabia during his first term in the White House.
Yep, no question! Hes distinctly a winner! Not just of those awards but of the presidency an unbelievable twice, and you never know maybe hell even be the first man to win it three times! Though hes said that he probably wont run again and the Constitution tells him he cant possibly do so, he clearly still has the urge! And lest you think that inconceivable, just remember that you can buy a Trump 2028 hat at the Trump Store and, just weeks ago, he showed a Four More Years hat to Ukrainian President Zelensky and French President Macron in the Oval Office while telling CNBC that he would indeed like to run. I have the best poll numbers Ive ever had. (No, he hasn't, but who cares about that?)
And, of course, there's another possibility, too, one that California Governor Gavin Newsom, a possible 2028 candidate himself, brought up recently. He labeled the Trump administrations actions authoritarian and added, I fear that we will not have an election in 2028. I really mean that in the core of my soul unless we wake up to the code red, whats happening in this country, and we wake up soberly to how serious this moment is.
And oh yes, the other thing Donald Trump so wants is indeed that Nobel Peace Prize. Hes often spoken bitterly of how former President Barack Obama got one. (He got elected and they announced hes getting the Nobel Prize. I got elected in a much bigger, better, crazier election, but they gave him the Nobel Prize.) And with all of that in mind, let TomDispatch regular Clarence Lusane, author of Twenty Dollars and Change: Harriet Tubman and the Ongoing Fight for Racial Justice and Democracy, consider just why our president should indeed never be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Tom
Never in a Million Years
Ten Reasons Why Trump Should Never Be Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
Who doesn't know that President Donald Trump desperately wants a Nobel Peace Prize and said bitterly, They will never give me a Nobel Peace Prize. Its too bad. I deserve it, but they will never give it to me?
And for once, hes right. He wont get one, but wrong, of course, that he deserves it. Actually, there are way more than 10 reasons why he doesn't deserve such a prize, but as 10 is such a nice round number, let me use it.
As a political scientist who focuses on human rights, global racial justice, and social movements, Ive given considerable thought to and conducted research on the Nobel Peace Prize. I once taught a course on the history and politics of that prize while a faculty member at American University's School of International Service. Last year, I even spent time in Oslo at both the Nobel Peace Center museum and the Norwegian Nobel Institute, which houses many of the Nobel Peace Prize Committees documents, including, for example, original nomination letters that can be viewed and studied.
I was there doing research on the 1964 prize awarded to Martin Luther King Jr., and I read several of the original letters sent to the Committee nominating him. His main nomination came from the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), which sent a letter dated January 31, 1963, that arrived after the January deadline for that year. His nomination was, however, carried over to 1964 and then he won.
As it turns out, I fall into one of the categories of those who can officially make such a nomination. They include members of parliamentary assemblies (or the U.S. Congress), previous Nobel Peace Prize Laureates like 17-year-old Malala Yousafzai or former Vice President Al Gore, directors of peace research institutes and foreign policy institutes, members of international courts, members of the Norwegian Nobel Peace Prize Committee, and (relevant to me) university professors.
Although the Committee has never explicitly stated that such a thing is possible, Im going to assume that I can also make an un-nomination. In fact, believe it or not, while there were many letters of support for Dr. Kings nomination, there were also letters asking the Committee to deny him the prize, even if most of them came from individuals ineligible to make (or unmake) a nomination.
And let me just say: I can think of no one more deserving of being un-nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize than President Donald Trump. His record of authoritarian and antidemocratic rule grows more dangerous and harmful by the day, not just for the United States but for the entire global community. And yet he has indeed been nominated by Republican sycophants in Congress who seek his favor, and global strongmen, including Gabons President Brice Oligui Nguema, who came to power thanks to a military coup, and Azerbaijans Ilham Aliyev, who has been that country's president for 22 years. They all understand that such recommendations appeal to his need for adulation and blunt any criticisms he may have of their own behavior.
The Nobel Committee does not, in fact, release information about each years determination, including all the individuals or groups nominated, until 50 years later, so the only way Trump and the world would know that Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, and others have indeed nominated him is if they publicly stated it or told him so.
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