Nobel Peace Prize: From Global Honor to Political Games

Trump's obsession with winning the Nobel Peace Prize had reached pathological levels.

At 5 p.m on October 10, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado as this year's winner, citing her "tireless efforts to fight for democracy for the Venezuelan people." Trump missed out yet again. White House Communications Director Steven Cheung didn't mince words: "The Nobel Committee has proven that they put politics above peace."

Now, I rarely find myself nodding along to White House statements, but this one? Dead on target. The Nobel Committee is absolutely politicized.

When Obsession Takes Over

Trump's desire for this award has evolved into something resembling a fixation. Perhaps he's desperate to cement his legacy. Winning the Nobel would be like minting coins with his face on them—a permanent stamp on history. Just before the announcement, he rushed out a 20-point Gaza peace proposal, frantically creating an award-worthy atmosphere while boasting he'd mediated seven wars.

Two American presidents have won before—Carter and Obama. But Carter wasn't sitting in the Oval Office when he got his, and Obama? He won after doing essentially nothing, merely by "creating an atmosphere." So naturally, Trump thinks: I've actually stopped wars—why shouldn't I get the prize?

This obsessive fixation makes you wonder: when he posted that thousand-word tirade targeting China just hours after losing the prize—threatening a 100% tariff on Chinese products starting November 1—was this just "president having a bad day, needs to blow off steam"? It makes American decision-making look embarrassingly childish.

A Prize Built on Politics

Obama's award was genuinely absurd, and it convinced many that the Nobel Peace Prize Committee—primarily appointed by Norway's Parliament—naturally leans toward white-left politicians like Obama. Which perfectly explains why Trump can't win. He's practically Obama's polar opposite: one white-left, one far-right. How could the Norwegian Nobel Committee possibly award the prize to a far-right American president? Norwegian officials even joked they needed to take a few days off when the prize was announced to dodge American phone calls.

Choosing Machado reveals the Committee's calculated game. Trump has been relentlessly attacking Venezuelan President Maduro, even threatening to invade Venezuela under the guise of fighting drugs. America naturally backs Venezuelan opposition figure Machado. Awarding her at least ensures Trump can't attack the winner.

CBS reported that a senior White House official revealed that Trump called Machado to congratulate her, saying she deserved the award. This confirms the Nobel Committee made a purely political decision—giving the prize to someone Trump couldn't oppose. Whether Machado actually deserves a peace prize? Nobody bothers asking that question.

What About Jimmy Lai?

Exiled figures overseas keep nominating Jimmy Lai and Chow Hang-tung for the Nobel Peace Prize, with plenty of cheerleaders beating the drums for them. But now they're competing with Trump for the award. I doubt any US official would dare support Jimmy Lai and Chow Hang-tung for this prize —at least not before Trump gets his.

Given the Nobel Committee's white-left tradition, awarding Jimmy Lai wouldn't be shocking. But a peace prize, by definition, should promote peace. Yet Jimmy Lai used his Apple Daily newspaper to aggressively support the 2019 violent opposition movement. He wasn't advocating for peace—he was advocating for violence to overthrow the government. The peace prize certainly shouldn't go to someone who endorsed the "no difference between peaceful and valiant protesters" slogan and backed militant factions in violent anti-government movements.

Regardless, this latest Nobel Peace Prize spectacle further proves that this award is merely a Western white-left prize. Trump's competition for the prize has fully exposed the hypocrisy of this award.

Lo Wing-hung

Bastille Commentary

** 博客文章文責自負,不代表本公司立場 **

The saying “a promise is worth a thousand pieces of gold” comes from the story of Ji Bu in the Records of the Grand Historian, where people said, "a single promise from Ji Bu is better than a hundred catties of gold." But President Trump? His promises worth not a single penny —nobody trusts him anymore.

Trade War Flames Ignite

The US-China trade war has burst back into the spotlight with Trump threatening a brutal 100% tariff on Chinese goods, but his statements keep flip-flopping. On October 10, just hours after losing out on the Nobel Peace Prize, Trump launched a near-thousand-word tirade against China. He called China “suddenly hostile” due to export controls on rare earths, even suggesting that there’s no reason to continue his plan to meet with President Xi Jinping during the APEC summit in Korea. Then, he threatened to slap a 100% tariff on Chinese imports starting November 1.

Right after the post, US stocks plummeted. The seven tech giants lost about US$770 billion in a single day. Trump looked rattled. When asked later if he’d cancel meeting Xi, he responded hesitantly: “I may still meet with Xi Jinping, but I don’t know... things could change by then.” Then the next day, he softened, saying on social media, “Don’t worry about China... President Xi’s just in a bad mood. He doesn’t want his country in recession — and neither do I.”

First, who struck first? Trump makes it sound like China surprised everyone with hostile export controls, but China’s Ministry of Commerce laid out that it’s the US imposing escalating restrictions since the recent Madrid talks—adding thousands of firms to various embargo lists and hitting multiple sectors with sanctions. Is Trump genuinely clueless or just playing the victim card?

Who’s Really Mad? Hint: It’s Not Xi

Trump claims President Xi is just “in a bad mood.” Truth is, China doesn’t make emotion-driven moves — the US does. Trump never admits defeat. Losing the Nobel Prize wound him badly with nowhere to lash out but a thousand-word screed threatening tariffs.

Trump says he wants “to help China, not hurt China,” and that Xi doesn’t want his country in recession. Flip that around: it’s Trump terrified of a Wall Street meltdown and US recession.

China controls rare earth supplies crucial for semiconductors, while the US has no backup plan. If the trade war escalates, China’s economy might slow down, but the US could stall outright. The Wall Street Journal called China’s rare-earth controls an “economic nuclear bomb” that threatens US AI industries and could drag the US economy into recession.

The Market’s Bet: Trump Always Backs Off

With Trump constantly softening his stance, traders call it the “TACO trade”—Trump Always Chickens Out. His tariff threats are seen as bluffs that will fade away quietly. Who would’ve thought a US President’s word could be worth nothing?

Meanwhile, China’s playing a serious game.

Previous US-China talks hit rough waters. The US only wanted China to concede by purchasing soybeans, while itself stubbornly refusing to lift the 20% fentanyl tariff, all the while pushing for a leaders’ summit.

China then played its big card: breaking free from the small-scale negotiation framework altogether — demanding a comprehensive showdown where tariffs and the many US bans on China be discussed all together, or there would be no talks at all.

The US wasn’t prepared for this breakdown, having no backup plans for rare earths and superhard materials. It had simply bet China wouldn’t make this bold move, but China did. After Trump’s outburst fueled by anger, he now had to respond calmly—hence the softer tone and attempts to re-engage in talks.

Lo Wing-hung