Trump Grabbing a Medal He Could Never Earn

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado handed over her Nobel Peace Prize medal to Donald Trump during a White House meeting on January 15, 2026. This ends Trump’s relentless pursuit of the Nobel Peace Prize for years, and it’s always been a mix of ego, bluster, and manufactured moments.

It feels like the culmination of that desperation. But let’s zoom out and add the full chronology, including how even Pakistani leaders have jumped on the bandwagon to vouch for him.It started ramping up in mid-2025. In June 2025, Pakistan formally recommended Trump for the Nobel, praising his “decisive diplomatic intervention” in de-escalating a brief but intense India-Pakistan border conflict in May.

Islamabad’s government post on X hailed his “pivotal leadership” that supposedly averted a nuclear crisis—though India downplayed any U.S. role and called it a direct bilateral deal. Trump, ever the opportunist, grumbled on Truth Social that he “won’t get a Nobel Peace Prize no matter what I do,” but you could tell he was thrilled.

Then came the repeat performance. In October 2025, just days after the Nobel Committee awarded the 2025 prize to Machado (and not to him), Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced intentions for a second nomination. This time, it was for Trump’s role in brokering a Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal. Sharif even saluted Trump publicly, calling him the “man this world needed most” with “exemplary, visionary leadership.”

It was classic flattery from a leader seeking favor—twice in months.This isn’t isolated. Multiple world leaders have publicly backed or nominated Trump for the prize (mostly for 2026 consideration, as many came after the 2025 deadline).

Next, it was the turn of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who personally nominated him in July 2025 for Middle East efforts. Then, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, also sent a formal nomination in August 2025 for a Thailand-Cambodia ceasefire.

He was followed by leaders from Rwanda, Gabon, Azerbaijan, and others endorsing him for African and regional peace deals.

At least five to seven countries’ leaders (Pakistan twice, Israel, Cambodia, Rwanda/Gabon endorsements, Azerbaijan, etc.) have thrown their weight behind him publicly—often from authoritarian-leaning governments happy to butter up the U.S. president.

Yet despite all this cheerleading, the Norwegian Nobel Committee stuck with Machado for her fight against Venezuelan authoritarianism, while Trump was busy golfing and tweeting.

Trump couldn’t earn it outright, so he settled for the next best thing: accepting the physical medal as a “personal symbol of gratitude” during Machado’s White House visit yesterday.
She framed it as thanks for U.S. action in ousting Nicolás Maduro earlier this month, even invoking a 200-year-old historical parallel with Simón Bolívar.

Trump, who has never shied away from self-aggrandizement, eagerly accepted the medal and boasted about it on social media, declaring it a recognition of “the work I have done.”

He also posted gleefully on Truth Social about the “wonderful gesture,” posing with the framed 18-karat gold trinket like he’d finally won.

The Nobel folks shut that down fast: “A medal can change owners, but the title of a Nobel Peace Prize laureate cannot.” Trump has a souvenir; Machado keeps the actual honor.

Such move reeks of the same ego-driven hustle we see in India’s award-for-sale racket.The whole saga screams the same vanity project as India’s paid-award circus—shady ceremonies where people pay up, slap the “award” on their resumes, and pretend it’s prestige.

However, Trump didn’t pay cash – he leveraged military intervention and political pressure – but the vibe is identical: a manufactured accolade to feed an insatiable need for acclaim.Trump has begged, hinted, and complained about the Nobel for years.

Nominations from allies, boasts about North Korea summits, Middle East deals – none of it swayed the committee. Now, in his second term, after U.S. forces helped topple Maduro, he snags the physical medal through a grateful (or strategically calculating) opposition figure.

Machado might be playing a smart game to secure U.S. backing in Venezuela’s chaotic transition, but Trump? He’s the kid who couldn’t win the game fair and square, so he took the trophy anyway.

It’s pathetic, really. True peace prizes go to people who build bridges, not those who bomb their way to headlines and then claim the credit.

Trump clutching that medal doesn’t make him a laureate; it just highlights how badly he craves what he knows he hasn’t earned.

This isn’t statesmanship—it’s a global ego trip. The world deserves leaders who inspire peace, not ones who collect symbols of it like trophies. If Pakistani praise and a gifted medal are the best he can muster, the real prize—legitimate recognition—remains miles out of reach.

If this is the “peace through strength” Trump keeps bragging about, count me out. The Nobel medal might be in the White House, but the real prize – integrity – remains firmly out of his reach.

Naorem Mohen

Naorem Mohen is the Editor of Signpost News. Explore his views and opinion on X: @laimacha.