Americans Overwhelmingly Say Trump Did NOT Deserve The Nobel Peace Prize

The chart above reflects the results of the Economist / YouGov Poll -- done between January 23rd and 26th of a nationwide sample of 1,684 adults (including 1,520 registered voters). The margin of error is 3.3 points for adults and 3.1 points for registered voters.

 

"No President In American History Deserves The Nobel Peace Prize Less Than Donald J. Trump"

Robert Reich comments on Donald Trump's desire for a Nobel Peace Prize:

Trump recently had his name engraved on the U.S. Institute of Peace — now renamed the “Donald J. Trump U.S. Institute of Peace.” On Wednesday, the White House confirmed the renaming, calling it “a powerful reminder of what strong leadership can accomplish for global stability.”

Actually, it’s a reminder of what a strong malignant narcissist can accomplish when untethered from reality. 

On Friday, Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, the world football league, awarded Trump the first (and likely last) annual FIFA Peace Prize — along with a hagiographic video of Trump and “peace.”

What FIFA has to do with peace is anyone’s guess, but Infantino is evidently trying to curry favor with Trump. (Infantino, by the way, oversaw the 2020 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, defending and minimizing Qatar’s miserable human rights record. He also played a key role in selecting Saudi Arabia to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup, notwithstanding the Saudi murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.)

Both Trump’s absurd renaming of the U.S. Institute of Peace and the equally absurd FIFA award are parts of Trump’s campaign to get the Nobel Peace Prize — something he has coveted since Barack Obama was awarded it in 2009 (anything Obama got credited with, Trump wants to discredit or match).

 

Too late for this year. The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to María Corina Machado of Venezuela “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.” (The prize is awarded annually on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death, in a formal ceremony at the Oslo City Hall. Trump has his eye on the 2026 prize.)

Ironically, Trump has declared war on Venezuela, without congressional authorization — causing the death so far of at least 87 people bombed by American military jets targeting vessels allegedly carrying drugs into the United States. 

Those 87 include two people who barely survived a first bombing, only to be bombed again. (Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, who saw a video of the second strike in a closed-door briefing, told CBS’s “Face the Nation” yesterday that the two survivors “were barely alive, much less engaging in hostilities,” when the follow-up strike took place.)

Trump has designated a Venezuelan criminal group — Cartel de los Soles — as a Foreign Terrorist Organization led by Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro. Yet analysts have pointed out that the Cartel de los Soles is not a hierarchical group but an umbrella term used to describe corrupt Venezuelan officials who have allowed cocaine to transit through the country.

Could it be that Trump wants access to Venezuela’s vast oil reserves?

He doesn’t seem to be particularly upset about cocaine trafficking. While he’s bombing small vessels in the Caribbean allegedly for smuggling fentanyl into the United States, Trump is pardoning Honduras’ former president Juan Orlando Hernández, who was convicted of trafficking large amounts of cocaine into the United States. 

Trump is also in the process of giving eastern Ukraine to Vladimir Putin. Steve Witkoff, Trump’s golf pal and itinerant diplomat, has offered Yuri Ushakov, Vladimir Putin’s top foreign policy adviser, a plan for carving up disputed territory in a way likely to appeal to Putin.

 

As revealed in a transcript of a recent meeting, Witkoff told Ushakov, “Now, me to you, I know what it’s going to take to get a peace deal done: Donetsk and maybe a land swap somewhere.”

Witkoff also advised Ushakov on how Putin can get the best deal for Russia — by having Putin flatter America’s narcissist-in-chief: 

”Make the call and just reiterate that you congratulate the president on this achievement [in Gaza], that you supported it, that you respect that he is a man of peace and you’re just, you’re really glad to have seen it happen.” 

Ushakov responded: 

“Hey Steve, I agree with you that he will congratulate, he will say that Mr. Trump is a real peace man and so-and-so. That he will say.” 

While Witkoff has been seeking a “peace” deal in Ukraine by giving Putin much of what Putin wants, Witkoff and presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner have been seeking billions of dollars in business deals with Russia. It’s a brazen conflict of interest. 

Witkoff spoke on the record to The Wall Street Journal, characterizing the talks with Russia over oil, gas, and rare-earth minerals as “a bulwark against future conflicts there. Because everybody’s thriving.” 

Everyone’s thriving, that is, except Ukrainians and those conscripted into the Russian army. 

Other potential beneficiaries of the deal include ExxonMobil, along with a Trump donor and college pal of Donald Trump Jr. with the improbable name Gentry Beach. Beach hopes to acquire a 9.9 percent stake in a Russian Arctic gas project.

Meanwhile, Trump has allowed Benjamin Netanyahu to continue bombing Gaza, even after declaring a ceasefire there. 

Peace prize? Please. 

Trump is taking credit for achieving “peace” between nations that weren’t even at war. 

He’s also trying to change the name of the Department of Defense back to the Department of War. 

And he’s conjuring up “enemies within” the United States as pretexts for prosecuting political opponents, attacking American universities, and attempting to stifle media criticism of himself and his administration.

According to Alfred Nobel’s will, the Peace Prize is awarded to the person who in the preceding year “shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.” Nobel’s will further specified that the prize be awarded by a committee of five people chosen by the Norwegian Parliament.

Memo to the Norwegian Parliament and the Nobel committee: No president in American history deserves the Nobel Peace Prize less than does Donald J. Trump.

The Many Reasons Why Trump Should NEVER Get The Nobel Peace Prize

It's no secret that Donald Trump wants a Nobel Peace Prize. He's said it many times - and has even called a member of the Nobel Prize board to lobby for it. The problem is he doesn't seem to understand that the prize is not some political gift - it is an award that must be earned.

The way the prize is earned is by doing selfless work to promote peace, human rights, and democracy - work that makes the world a better place for everyone.  Most of Trump's actions have done just the opposite.

* Trump is a bully, and has tried to bully other countries into supporting his desires by putting tariffs on almost every nation in the world.

* He withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Accords, severely restricted the U.S. from advancing safe and renewable forms of energy, and promoted the increased use of fossil fuels - making it much more likely the world will not be able to avoid crucial tipping points on global climate change.

* He has given huge tax cuts to the rich, and partially paid for it by kicking millions of Medicaid roles and eliminating increased subsidies for private insurance causing millions more to be unable to afford the increase in insurance premiums - resulting in the increase of millions without any health insurance and increasing the likelihood that many rural hospitals will close their doors.

* He has sent troops into many large American cities to intimidate the citizens by claiming a fraudulent "state of emergency".

* He has perverted the Department of Justice - turning it into a vehicle for him to attack his critics and political opponents.

* After claiming he was going after immigrant criminals, he has used an enlarged and empowered ICE to arrest hard-working men and women (and children) with no criminal records.

* Without proof or due process, he has instructed the Defense department to attack and kill persons in boats in international waters. This was nothing short of murder!

* He has usurped the constitutional power of Congress to control the national budget.

* He has tried to "whitewash" American history, and destroyed rules designed to enhance the equality and opportunity of nonwhites.

* He has encouraged states to redistrict to give his party an unfair advantage in elections.

* He has used his office to make himself (and his family) much richer, while increasing inflation that makes life harder for most Americans.

* Even though he finally bullied Netanyahu into finally stopping the killing of Palestinians, he still supports the Israeli theft of Palestinian land, and refuses to support the Palestinians right to self-determination and a state of their own.

Trump's actions have done nothing to further peace, human (or political) rights, or democracy in the world. He has not earned consideration for the Nobel Peace Prize, and it is unlikely that he ever will.

Nobel Peace Prize Winner Is Announced (It Ain't Trump)

 

From Axios.com 

Trump Wants A Nobel Prize - Most Americans Say He Doesn't Deserve One

The chart above is from the Washington Post / Ipsos Poll -- done between September 11th and 15th of a nationwide sample of 2,513 adults, with a 2 point margin of error. 

Four United States presidents have won the Nobel Peace Prize - Theodore Roosevelt (1906), Woodrow Wilson (1920), Jimmy Carter (2002), and Barack Obama (2009). One vice-president has also won it - Al Gore (2007).

Donald Trump fervently wants to win one. He wants it so bad that he continually talks about it, and has even gone so far as to call one of the members of the Nobel Prize committee.

In his pandering for the prize, Trump has claimed several times that he personally stopped seven wars. That is dubious at best. The New York Times looked into that claim. Here is what they found:

Trump's War On Free Speech Likely Killed His Hope For A Nobel Prize

 

From The Borowitz Report

Most Americans Say No To A Nobel Peace Prize For Trump

The chart above reflects the results of the YouGov Poll -- done between August 26th and 28th of a nationwide sample of 1,121 adults, with a 4.2 point margin of error.

Trump's Wish For A Nobel Peace Prize Is Crushed By His Appeasement In Alaska Summit

Donald Trump hates ex-President Barack Obama. He hates him for his continuing popularity (which puts him far more popular than Trump in poll after poll). And he especially hates him for receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. Four presidents have won that honor (Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter, and Barack Obama), and it is a fervent desire of Trump's to do the same.

Trump has whined on Truth Social that he deserves the prize. In their desire to please Trump several countries' leaders have nominated him (Israel, Rwanda, Gabon, Azerbaijan, and Cambodia). And in a particularly ridiculous move, Trump cold-called Swedish Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg. He discussed tariffs, and then expressed his desire to get a Nobel Peace Prize.

Before Trump's journey to Alaska for a summit with Vladimir Putin, Trump had been insistent that he would be harsh with Putin - demanding a ceasefire with the threat severe sanctions against Russia if they refused. If he had followed through - getting a ceasefire or imposing the sanctions - that could have gone a long way toward achieving his desire for the Nobel Peace Prize. Sadly, that did not happen.

Instead, Trump was manipulated by Putin into abandoning his desire for a ceasefire - instead acceding to Russia's stance that a peace plan must be accompanied by Ukraine giving territory to Russia. It was a craven appeasement, and it likely crushed any remote hope of getting the Nobel Peace Prize.

That prestigious prize is not awarded to those who wish for it - no matter how fervent the desire. And it is not awarded to bullies who threaten tariffs. It is earned by those who make a positive impact for the good of the civilized world. It is earned by standing up to vicious dictators - not appeasing them.

Peace is not achieved through appeasement. The world learned that after the failure of the Munich Agreement. It's to his own detriment (and that of the world) that Trump doesn't learn from history.

An Open Letter From Six Nobel Laureate Economists About The GOP Bill

 

From the Economic Policy Institute

Nobel Prize Economists Say Biden Better For The Economy

 

This is a public letter from 13 economists -- all of them winners of the Nobel Prize for economics. They agree that Joe Biden's policies would be better for the economy than Donald Trump's. 

More Proof Of Donald Trump's Rampant Narcissism

(The caricature of Donald Trump is by DonkeyHotey.)

The overriding characteristic of Donald Trump's personality is his narcissism. That determines every aspect of his presidency in both domestic and foreign policy. If he thinks an action or a lie will make him look good, then that is what he will do -- regardless of whether it is good for the country or not.

A couple of days ago, he was again bragging that he had been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. He said the Japanese prime minister had nominated him for his meeting with Kim Jong-Un of North Korea (even though that meeting accomplished nothing other than to increase Kim Jong-Un's standing on the world stage).

But there's another part to that story that Trump won't tell. It now comes out that the Japanese prime minister only nominated Trump because the U.S. government (i.e., the Trump administration) asked him to do that. I don't know if the request came from Trump, or from someone in his administration trying to earn brownie points with him -- but either way it points to Trump's abnormal level of narcissism.

Here's how Reuters reported the story:

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe nominated U.S. President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize last autumn after receiving a request from the U.S. government to do so, the Asahi newspaper reported on Sunday. 

The report follows Trump’s claim on Friday that Abe had nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize for opening talks and easing tensions with North Korea.

The Japanese leader had given him “the most beautiful copy” of a five-page nomination letter, Trump said at a White House news conference. 

The U.S. government had sounded Abe out over the Noble Peace Prize nomination after Trump’s summit in June last year with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the first meeting between a North Korean leader and a sitting U.S. president, the Asahi said, citing an unnamed Japanese government source.

A spokesman for Japan’s Foreign Ministry in Tokyo said the ministry was aware of Trump’s remarks, but “would refrain from commenting on the interaction between the two leaders.” 

The White House had no immediate comment when contacted by Reuters. 

The Nobel Foundation’s website says a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize may be submitted by any person who meets the nomination criteria, which includes current heads of states. Under the foundation’s rules, names and other information about unsuccessful nominations cannot be disclosed for 50 years.

Public Resoundingly Says NO To A Nobel Prize For Trump

I thought it was a joke when I first heard it, but some Republicans in the 115th Congress are actually trying to nominate Donald Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize. I don't know what they are thinking, but Trump hasn't done anything that would warrant giving him the Nobel Prize. And the American public agrees with me.

Only 24% of registered voters want Trump to be awarded a Nobel Prize, while 61% say that should not happen. That's a negative gap of 37 points. And that view is shared by both genders, all age groups, all race/ethnicities, all types of communities, all regions of the country, and most political groups.

Only one political group thinks he should get the Nobel Prize -- Republicans by 50% to 32%. That just exemplifies how far the Republican Party has drifted from mainstream America.

I'm sure the orange narcissist living in the White House would love to get that prize, and he's probably pinning his hopes on talking North Korea into giving up their nuclear weapons. It ain't going to happen. North Korea is not going to give up their nuclear weapons, and the Nobel committee is not going to give Trump anything.

The chart above was made using information in a new Politico / Morning Consult Poll -- done between May 10th and 14th of a national sample of 1,993 registered voters, with a 2 point margin of error.

Transcript Of Bob Dylan's Nobel Prize Speech

(Photo of Bob Dylan meeting the Obama's at the White House is by Pete Souza.)

The Nobel Prize for literature was awarded to Bob Dylan last year. One of the requirements for someone receiving a Nobel Prize is to give an acceptance speech at the banquet following the awards. Dylan was not able to attend the banquet, but sent the following speech, which was read by the United States Ambassador to Sweden. Dylan said:

Good evening, everyone. I extend my warmest greetings to the members of the Swedish Academy and to all of the other distinguished guests in attendance tonight.

I’m sorry I can’t be with you in person, but please know that I am most definitely with you in spirit and honored to be receiving such a prestigious prize. Being awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature is something I never could have imagined or seen coming. From an early age, I’ve been familiar with and reading and absorbing the works of those who were deemed worthy of such a distinction: Kipling, Shaw, Thomas Mann, Pearl Buck, Albert Camus, Hemingway. These giants of literature whose works are taught in the schoolroom, housed in libraries around the world and spoken of in reverent tones have always made a deep impression. That I now join the names on such a list is truly beyond words.

I don’t know if these men and women ever thought of the Nobel honor for themselves, but I suppose that anyone writing a book, or a poem, or a play anywhere in the world might harbor that secret dream deep down inside. It’s probably buried so deep that they don’t even know it’s there.

If someone had ever told me that I had the slightest chance of winning the Nobel Prize, I would have to think that I’d have about the same odds as standing on the moon. In fact, during the year I was born and for a few years after, there wasn’t anyone in the world who was considered good enough to win this Nobel Prize. So, I recognize that I am in very rare company, to say the least.

I was out on the road when I received this surprising news, and it took me more than a few minutes to properly process it. I began to think about William Shakespeare, the great literary figure. I would reckon he thought of himself as a dramatist. The thought that he was writing literature couldn’t have entered his head. His words were written for the stage. Meant to be spoken not read. When he was writing Hamlet, I’m sure he was thinking about a lot of different things: “Who’re the right actors for these roles?” “How should this be staged?” “Do I really want to set this in Denmark?” His creative vision and ambitions were no doubt at the forefront of his mind, but there were also more mundane matters to consider and deal with. “Is the financing in place?” “Are there enough good seats for my patrons?” “Where am I going to get a human skull?” I would bet that the farthest thing from Shakespeare’s mind was the question “Is this literature?”

When I started writing songs as a teenager, and even as I started to achieve some renown for my abilities, my aspirations for these songs only went so far. I thought they could be heard in coffee houses or bars, maybe later in places like Carnegie Hall, the London Palladium. If I was really dreaming big, maybe I could imagine getting to make a record and then hearing my songs on the radio. That was really the big prize in my mind. Making records and hearing your songs on the radio meant that you were reaching a big audience and that you might get to keep doing what you had set out to do.

Well, I’ve been doing what I set out to do for a long time, now. I’ve made dozens of records and played thousands of concerts all around the world. But it’s my songs that are at the vital center of almost everything I do. They seemed to have found a place in the lives of many people throughout many different cultures and I’m grateful for that.

But there’s one thing I must say. As a performer I’ve played for 50,000 people and I’ve played for 50 people and I can tell you that it is harder to play for 50 people. 50,000 people have a singular persona, not so with 50. Each person has an individual, separate identity, a world unto themselves. They can perceive things more clearly. Your honesty and how it relates to the depth of your talent is tried. The fact that the Nobel committee is so small is not lost on me.

But, like Shakespeare, I too am often occupied with the pursuit of my creative endeavors and dealing with all aspects of life’s mundane matters. “Who are the best musicians for these songs?” “Am I recording in the right studio?” “Is this song in the right key?” Some things never change, even in 400 years.

Not once have I ever had the time to ask myself, “Are my songs literature?”

So, I do thank the Swedish Academy, both for taking the time to consider that very question, and, ultimately, for providing such a wonderful answer.

My best wishes to you all,

Bob Dylan

70 Nobel Prize Winners Endorse Hillary Clinton For President

The open letter above is from 70 Nobel Prize laureates. They all signed the letter with their name, the field in which they won the prize, and the year. These brilliant people know that this is a very important election, and they say that they "strongly and fully support Hillary Clinton to be President of the United States".

Bob Dylan Wins The Nobel Prize For Literature

(Photo is from mensxp.com.)

The 2016 Nobel Prize for Literature has, for the first time in 23 years, been awarded to an American. The last winner was Toni Morrison in 1993. This year it went to singer/songwriter Bob Dylan. Dylan won the award "for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition".

There has been some consternation that the award went to a songwriter instead of a novelist or poet, but there shouldn't be. Dylan's lyrics stand beautifully without any musical accompaniment. It is poetry of the highest order. The music enhances his poetry, as music can enhance any poetry by any other poet -- but the lyrics (i.e., poetry) written by Dylan would be successful if just printed as a volume of poetry.

Dylan was a master of words and imagery, and his words spoke to millions of people in a profound way. I applaud the Swedish Academy for selecting Bob Dylan to receive this award. It was a bold choice, and one that was well deserved.

An Open Letter From Nobel Laureates Supporting GMO's

(This photo of Golden Rice is from naturalproductsinsider.com.)

Many of my progressive sisters and brothers will probably be angry at this post, but I have never been sold on the idea that genetically-modified food (GMO) is dangerous. The truth is that man has been genetically modifying crops as long as faring has been in existence -- and almost all of the food we eat today (including that grown on "organic" farms) has been genetically-modified. In short, I believe it is more important to feed the world than to give in to myths and unfounded fears.

Here is the letter signed by 110 Nobel Prize laureates in support of GMO's (particularly Golden Rice):

To the Leaders of Greenpeace, the United Nations and Governments around the world

The United Nations Food & Agriculture Program has noted that global production of food, feed and fiber will need approximately to double by 2050 to meet the demands of a growing global population. Organizations opposed to modern plant breeding, with Greenpeace at their lead, have repeatedly denied these facts and opposed biotechnological innovations in agriculture. They have misrepresented their risks, benefits, and impacts, and supported the criminal destruction of approved field trials and research projects.

We urge Greenpeace and its supporters to re-examine the experience of farmers and consumers worldwide with crops and foods improved through biotechnology, recognize the findings of authoritative scientific bodies and regulatory agencies, and abandon their campaign against "GMOs" in general and Golden Rice in particular.

Scientific and regulatory agencies around the world have repeatedly and consistently found crops and foods improved through biotechnology to be as safe as, if not safer than those derived from any other method of production. There has never been a single confirmed case of a negative health outcome for humans or animals from their consumption. Their environmental impacts have been shown repeatedly to be less damaging to the environment, and a boon to global biodiversity. 

Greenpeace has spearheaded opposition to Golden Rice, which has the potential to reduce or eliminate much of the death and disease caused by a vitamin A deficiency (VAD), which has the greatest impact on the poorest people in Africa and Southeast Asia.

The World Health Organization estimates that 250 million people, suffer from VAD, including 40 percent of the children under five in the developing world. Based on UNICEF statistics, a total of one to two million preventable deaths occur annually as a result of VAD, because it compromises the immune system, putting babies and children at great risk. VAD itself is the leading cause of childhood blindness globally affecting 250,000 - 500,000 children each year. Half die within 12 months of losing their eyesight. 

WE CALL UPON GREENPEACE to cease and desist in its campaign against Golden Rice specifically, and crops and foods improved through biotechnology in general;

WE CALL UPON GOVERNMENTS OF THE WORLD to reject Greenpeace's campaign against Golden Rice specifically, and crops and foods improved through biotechnology in general; and to do everything in their power to oppose Greenpeace's actions and accelerate the access of farmers to all the tools of modern biology, especially seeds improved through biotechnology. Opposition based on emotion and dogma contradicted by data must be stopped.

How many poor people in the world must die before we consider this a "crime against humanity"?

Sincerely,

LIST OF SIGNERS OF THIS LETTER

The Nobel Prize Committee Gets It Right This Year

The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded,and this year it is shared by two very deserving people -- Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan and Kailash Satyarthi of India.

Malala Yousafzai, 17, is the young lady who was shot by the Taliban for trying to get an education. But she didn't back down after recovering from her wounds. She has become one of the world's most prominent spokespersons for the education of girls/women.

Kailash Satyarthi, 60, has dedicated his life to fighting for children's rights.

In giving the award to these two brave individuals, the Nobel Committee said:

 ". . .their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education."

"Children must go to school and not be financially exploited. In the poor countries of the world, 60% of the present population is under 25 years of age. It is a prerequisite for peaceful global development that the rights of children and young people be respected."

(The photo of Malala Yousafzai is from marie claire.)

(The photo of Kailash Satyarthi is from kailashsatyarthi.net.)

Congratulations To Our Northern Neighbor !

(The image of Alice Munro above was found at the website ranker.com.)

The Nobel Prize for literature has been awarded, and the winner this year is Canadian short-story write Alice Munro. Munro is the 13th woman to win the prestigious award, and the first Canadian to win it. When notified she had won, Munro said:

"I knew I was in the running, yes, but I never thought I would win.

I am amazed and very grateful. I am particularly glad that winning this award will please so many Canadians. I'm happy that this will bring more attention to Canadian writing."

Here is a short biography of Munro by CNN:

Munro, who lives in the southwestern Ontario town of Clinton, was born near there in Wingham, where her father was a fox farmer and her mother was a teacher.

She started writing stories in her teen years and studied journalism and English at the University of Western Ontario.

Munro took a breather from her studies when she got married in 1951. She and her husband moved to Victoria, British Columbia, and opened a bookstore.

She published in various magazines starting in the 1950s. In 1968, she published "Dance of the Happy Shades," a book-length collection of short stories.

Other well-known works include: "Who Do You Think You Are?" (1978), "The Moons of Jupiter" (1982), "Runaway" (2004), "The View from Castle Rock" (2006) and "Too Much Happiness" (2009).

A story in the 2001 collection "Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage" was the basis of the 2006 film "Away from Her," directed by Sarah Polley.

Munro gained world renown for writing about everyday people.