Choosing oil over democracy and rule of law, the Don follows his “own compass” at home and abroadDonald Trump, the petulant sabre-rattler, found no cause to pause as he finally got his “Noble” Peace Prize — the real 18-karat gold medal — even if it was a hand-me-down from the 2025 winner.Wooing Trump, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado came calling to the White House to gift her medal — that a miffed Norwegian Nobel Committee says cannot be “revoked, shared, or transferred to others” — to Trump.She was giving her medal “to the heir of Washington,” Machado told reporters, for toppling Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro, “as a recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom.”Machado parted with her medal just a week after Trump petulantly complained that “I single-handedly ENDED 8WARS, and Norway, a NATO Member, foolishly chose not to give me the Noble (sic) Peace Prize,” though the government has nothing to do with selecting the winner.Trump thanked “wonderful woman” María for presenting “me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect,” and then sent her on her way. He later posted a photo of himself with Machado and the medal.
In the hours after the January 3 military raid to kidnap Maduro, Trump had called Machado a “very nice woman,” but suggested she lacked “respect” within the country.Proclaiming himself the ‘Acting President of Venezuela’, complete with an official portrait, Trump instead opted to do business with Maduro’s “extremely cooperative” vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, choosing oil over democracy.She and her cohort, according to the White House, had “thus far met all of the demands and requests of the United States and of the president.”Then he was back to his favourite pastime of sabre-rattling against enemies from Cuba to Iran, bad-mouthing allies and bashing ‘fake’ media.Boasting that he had accomplished so much, Trump even ominously suggested in an interview with Reuters that “when you think of it, we shouldn’t even have an election.”Facing pushback for this comment, the White House press secretary brushed it away later saying Trump was “simply joking.”When asked about Americans’ worries about high prices, Trump reiterated that the economy was the strongest “in history” and said he had to do a better job of promoting his achievements.Suggesting that he follows his own compass, Trump said, “A lot of times, you can’t convince a voter. You have to just do what’s right. And then a lot of the things I did were not really politically popular. They turned out to be when it worked out so well.”Even as Trump conceded that Hamas had still not disarmed – a condition of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza – Trump “OFFICIALLY entered the next phase of Gaza’s 20-Point Peace Plan!” with the appointment of a Palestinian Technocratic Government.“With the support of Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar, we will secure a COMPREHENSIVE Demilitarization Agreement with Hamas, including the surrender of ALL weapons, and the dismantling of EVERY tunnel,” he wrote, warning, “As I have said before, they can do this the easy way, or the hard way… PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.”Again suggesting Russian President Vladimir Putin was ready to strike a deal on Ukraine, he blamed President Volodymyr Zelensky’s insistence on not seeking peace at any cost for the hold-up.Trump however appeared to be backing away from a potential US attack on Iran after Israel, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Egypt warned that US military action could lead to a wider regional conflict, according to the New York Times.Trump would not say whether he would still take action on Iran after Tehran signaled it would not move ahead with executing protesters and reopened its airspace.Trump, according to NBC, has told his national security team that he would want any US military action in Iran to deliver a swift and decisive blow to the regime and not spark a sustained war.The president also touted how he was able to convince two Republican senators to oppose a resolution aimed at preventing him from using military force in Venezuela without congressional approval, allowing vice president JD Vance to cast the tie-breaking vote to block it.People in Greenland are fearful of what might come next after a meeting with the Trump administration ended in an impasse, according to one media report. As several Nato countries announced plans to send troops to Greenland, Trump warned he could impose tariffs on countries that oppose his goal of acquiring Greenland.And at home, even as Trump for once called the death of a woman motorist shot and killed by an ICE agent last week in Minneapolis, “a very unfortunate incident,” he made it clear that he would keep send militarised officers into American cities.
In another action to “MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN” Trump signed the “Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, ensuring millions of children have access to high-quality milk in schools.”It prompted late night show host Seth Meyers to snidely suggest there was no way Trump drank milk, “unless someone tricked you into thinking your Diet Coke came from a cow.”Then continuing his crusade to decorate the White House in his own image, Trump slapped another large metal cursive sign on the colonnade simply saying “The Rose Garden,” without the mandatory ‘Trump,’ prompting scores of memes.“You know it’s a classy joint when you have cursive signage on every historical spot, telling you where you are,” said one.“Donald Trump is decorating the White House like a pre-teen decorates their house in The Sims,” said another. “Coming soon: a sign that says THE WHITE HOUSE,” agreed a third.“White House becoming a senior community with all these signs telling people where they are,” was another biting commentary on the self- styled action hero, occupying the executive mansion.(By arrangement with The American Bazaar)
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