The Nobel Peace Prize winner was announced on Friday, and much to the chagrin of Donald Trump and his supporters, the president was overlooked yet again.
Maria Corina Machado, an opposition leader in Venezuela, was given the nod, but this result is not as bad as everyone is making it out to be.
Everyone seems to forget that the deadline for this year’s winner was Jan. 31, so many of the accomplishments of Trump's current term that would have qualified him for the honor had not even taken place by that date.
Joergen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, made the announcement honoring Machado, stating, "She is receiving the Nobel Peace Prize for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy."
White House communications director Steven Chueng erupted over the Trump snub, then stated, "He has the heart of a humanitarian, and there will never be anyone like him who can move mountains with the sheer force of his will. The Nobel Committee proved they place politics over peace.”
Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a group representing the families of hostages and terror victims that was formed after Oct. 7, had also appealed to the committee this week, writing, "In this past year, no leader or organization has contributed more to peace around the world than President Trump. While many have spoken eloquently about peace, he has achieved it.”
The statement continued, “While others have offered empty promises, he has delivered tangible results that have saved countless lives," the forum wrote in a letter to the committee dated Oct. 6. He has not merely spoken of peace -- he has delivered it.”
When Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu was in D.C. earlier this year, he informed Trump that he had nominated him for the award.
At the time, he stated, "The president has already realized great opportunities. He forged the Abraham Accords. He's forging peace, as we speak, in one country and one region after the other.”
He continued, "So, I want to present to you, Mr. President, the letter I sent to the Nobel Prize committee. It's nominating you for the peace prize, which is well-deserved."
But again, this was in July, so that nomination would count for the 2026 award, as the deadline for this year's nod had already passed by six months at that point.
While the White House raged, wrongly, I believe, Machado herself publicly recognized Trump’s efforts, and that will likely have an impact on next year’s award. She stated, “We are on the threshold of victory and today, more than ever, we count on President Trump, the people of the United States, the peoples of Latin America, and the democratic nations of the world as our principal allies to achieve Freedom and democracy.”
Machado’s statement continued, “I dedicate this prize to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause!”
I will admit, I thought that Trump did enough during his first presidency to have won the award, but what he just accomplished with Israel is in another league altogether. And if Trump can secure a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine before the end of the year, it would be hard to deny him at that point.
So, my friends, don’t be upset that Trump did not win this year's prize, as everything he has done since taking office has to have made him the frontrunner for the 2026 award. If he does not win it next year, well, then the Nobel committee deserves every bit of venom that comes its way.
