Our dear orange leader did not win the Nobel Peace Prize today, but that’s only because made-up peace treaties and endless politicking for the award apparently don’t count for much with the committee that makes the selection. But if he looks at it with his usual restrained judgment, this cloud has several silver linings.
First, there’s always next year, and if the cease fire (or whatever it is) between Hamas and Israel holds (admittedly, a big if) the prize will be in the bag next year–assuming Trump doesn’t start any new wars and that he limits his extra-judicial executions of alleged drug runners in the Gulf of Whatever-It’s-Called. (Mr. Trump, please note that politically-motivated jailings or extra-judicial killings of domestic opponents here in the U.S. will earn serious demerits in the Nobel Committee’s future deliberations.)
Second, Trump can use the “snub” as more ammunition for his resentment, feelings of victimization, and all-around bottomless well of anger and paranoia. These feelings will no doubt be compounded by the fact that they gave the prize to a Venezualan woman! Besides their usefulness for uniting his base, these feelings almost certainly will make Trump feel good. So he has another year of that.
And third, this “snub” gives Trump grounds for reprisals against Norway. And for Trump, there’s nothing like some good revenge to get the blood flowing.