High Plains Blogger readers know of my intense dislike of Donald J. Trump, his policies and the very idea that he is sitting in the Oval Office. Yet I have stated my intention to offer him praise when he has earned it … and I did so with the announcement of a ceasefire in Gaza that well could end the bloodshed between Hamas and the Israeli Defense Force.

Why, though, does Trump insist on stepping on his own applause lines by saying the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, a Venezuelan political dissenter, said that he had earned the prize over her efforts? My question is: Did she do so or is Trump making this up to cast himself in some pseudo-heroic light?

I saw a video of then-President Barack Obama declaring that he had won the Peace Prize in 2009, about two weeks into his presidency. He acknowledged freely that he felt uncomfortable having his name posted alongside “transformative figures” who had won it previously. He mentioned Albert Schweitzer, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr., Elie Wiesel as historic giants who had earned the prize. Obama saw his award as a testament to the expectation that he could deliver on his promise to bring a new world order.

Trump lobbied aggressively for the Peace Prize. I won’t begrudge him that effort. He isn’t the first to do so. He won’t be the last. He is just so damn awkward as he seeks to put words in other people’s mouths. I want to hear from the 2025 Peace Prize winner herself what she told Trump. I mean, the POTUS’s penchant for prevarication overtakes every single word that flies out of his mouth.