Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado told reporters she presented the medal for her Nobel Peace Prize to President Donald Trump at a private White House meeting on Thursday, but did not say if he accepted it.
“I think today is a historic day for us Venezuelans,” she said after the meeting with Trump, the first time the two have met in-person.
Yes…”before” is a pretty important qualifier.
The Obama prize can be viewed as an aspirational prize: rewarding rhetoric that was a drastic change from the typical US hawkish rhetoric and policy that had been increasing since Reagan. They ultimately got it wrong…very very wrong…but at least it was based on something.
Kissinger, on the other hand, was tantamount to a war criminal and everybody knew it.
Giving it to Machado just tells us that the prize is fully corrupted, considering her violent rhetoric. Not just that - but the notion that she was promoting democracy is laughable, given her statements about installing a regime that would be resistant or immune to leftist political victories.
If I recall correctly, it was awarded before he actually did anything. It felt like wishful thinking, and then he proceeded to authorize strikes somewhere.