Trump’s actions belie his Nobel dreams | Editorial

Donald Trump has cravenly campaigned for the Nobel Peace Prize that will be announced on Friday.

“I deserve it,” he said.

But in the immortal words of John McEnroe, “You cannot be serious.”

The peace prize is awarded for promoting things like international peace, stability, justice, democracy, and human rights. Former Vice President Al Gore was honored for raising awareness about human-made climate change.

On every one of those issues, Trump has done the opposite.

He called climate change a scam and promoted burning more fossil fuels. He spurred a violent insurrection and has used the U.S. Department of Justice to target enemies. He downplays human rights violations at home and around the globe.

Trump’s return to office has been marked by instability, chaos, and attacks on democratic elections.

As for promoting international peace, he bombed Iran 30 hours after announcing he would take two weeks to allow for peaceful negotiations.

Trump ordered lethal strikes on small boats in the Caribbean suspected of transporting drugs. So far, four boats have been blown up, and 21 people have been summarily executed.

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No evidence has been produced. No charges have been filed. No trials have been held. Nothing says peace like shoot first and refuse to answer any questions.

Legal experts have condemned the attacks. Retired Army Lt. Col. Daniel Maurer said Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had issued “a patently illegal order.”

Hegseth claimed “absolute authority” to conduct the attacks, even as the administration scrambles to come up with a legal rationale.

Trump promised to end Russia’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine in one day. Months have passed, and the indiscriminate killing of civilians continues.

Trump’s “peace efforts” in Ukraine have been all over the map.

He rolled out a red carpet for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, who faces an arrest warrant on war crimes charges, while berating Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, a Churchill-like hero and a U.S. ally, in the Oval Office.

He flip-flopped on whether to arm Ukraine, while running hot and cold in his affection for Putin. The Kremlin has responded to Trump’s shifting positions by repeatedly making fun of him.

He recently said Ukraine could win the war, but quickly lost interest in making that happen.

If only peace could be reached with photo ops and social media posts.

For months, Trump has largely looked away while Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu, another accused war criminal, demolished Gaza and slaughtered tens of thousands of Palestinians, including many women and children.

He remained quiet while famine spread in Gaza before meekly admitting to seeing “real starvation,” yet doing nothing to stop it.

Trump’s main contribution to ending the war so far was to float a fanciful plan to turn the Gaza Strip into the “Riviera of the Middle East.” He even posted a juvenile video depicting a resort with a gold Trump statue and a high-rise with a sign that said “Trump Gaza.”

Trump recently announced a peace agreement between Israel and Hamas, but it contained few details and Netanyahu continued bombing. A deal inched closer with a “first phase” to pause fighting and release prisoners, but it remains to be seen if this is peace by any other name.

Trump has repeatedly claimed he has ended six wars — sometimes it’s seven wars — in the last few months. The facts say otherwise.

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In one instance, Trump claimed to have brought about peace between Egypt and Ethiopia stemming from a dispute over the construction of a dam.

However, there are no reports of an agreement, and there was no actual war. This is akin to taking credit for airplanes that land safely.

Trump’s other major “peace initiative” has been to send armed troops into U.S. cities, including Washington, Los Angeles, and Chicago.

He sent the National Guard to Los Angeles in June to quell protests over immigration raids — a move a federal judge later ruled broke the law.

Trump announced plans to send troops to Portland, Ore., after he apparently saw a report on Fox that used five-year-old video footage of riots. Troops began arriving in Chicago on Thursday, even as Illinois sued to block the military action.

Trump calls himself the president of peace. Yet, he renamed the Defense Department the War Department.

It’s safe to predict the Nobel committee will not be calling the Oval Office on Friday.