By Bob Gaydos

Trump and Machado and their Nobel Peace Prize.

Dignity. Remember that? It was a pre-Trump concept that a lot of people used to think was an admirable trait in a person, particularly a person of prominence in, maybe not politics, but certainly foreign affairs.

Alas, it’s one more thing Trump has devalued as he has imposed his transactional “art of the deal” philosophy on foreign affairs. A rent-a-prison in El Salvador. A presidential plane from Qatar. A Nobel Peace Prize medal from Venezuela. All in a day’s work for the rapidly dissembling man who occupies the Oval Office.

The latter, of course, is the most, well, embarrassing. I feel personally embarrassed, although I know I shouldn’t, for Maria Corina Machado, who hand-delivered her Nobel Peace Prize, beautifully framed, to Trump in the Oval Office and smiled for the photographers recording the scene for posterity.

All in the name of, what? She says freedom and democracy for Venezuela. As she handed him the prize, which he has been lobbying for ever since Barack Obama was awarded one, Machado, the opposition leader to Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela, proclaimed, “We are on the threshold of victory and today, more than ever, we count on President Trump, the people of the United States, the peoples of Latin America, and the democratic nations of the world as our principal allies to achieve freedom and democracy.”

Translation: Since Trump followed up on his illegal campaign of killing Venezuelan fishermen in the Caribbean under the guise of fighting drug smuggling by illegally kidnaping the unpopular president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, and accusing him on drug charges, Machado has been calculating that maybe Trump could do for her what winning a Nobel Peace Prize could not — make her president of Venezuela.

Ah, yes, but she forgets. This is Trump. There must be more in the deal than merely saving a country from a dictator or even the cover of phony drug smuggling charges or even the distraction from the Epstein files. Did someone say oil?

Aha. Trump has already apparently cashed in $500 million from the sale of captured Venezuelan oil and it’s being held in U.S. bank accounts in Qatar and other countries, allegedly to be split among Venezuelans for social projects and infrastructure, U.S. companies and the U.S. government, “at the federal government’s discretion.” More sales are expected as the U.S. “runs Venezuela,“ as Trump said after kidnapping Maduro.

Where does this leave us? For the eager Machado, with a smile, a handshake and a photo with the smiling president of the United States, holding her Nobel Peace Prize. The U.S. turned the reins of Venezuela over to the vice president upon kidnapping Maduro, meaning the same oppressive government remains in charge. Trump, ever self-serving and never too proud to turn down an obviously undeserved award, has Machado‘s prize, framed and hanging somewhere in the Oval Office. The Nobel Committee and the people of Norway are embarrassed by this “unprecedented” turn of events. The committee was quick to point out that its prize is not transferable.

Nor is the dignity that traditionally accompanies it.

By Bob Gaydos

Donald Trump and Nicolas Maduro (kidnapped)

   Be careful what you wish for.

   After a few days of reminiscing about Christmases past and pondering the year to come, of musing about the choices and chances of survival of once seemingly stalwart Trumpers Elise Stefanik and Susie Wiles, I woke up on your regular Saturday, January 3, 2026, wondering what the man himself, the beneficiary of the first ever FIFA Peace Prize, would give me to write about.

     War.

      I should have known.

      This won’t take long. What you’re going to read here is likely to be pretty much what you read elsewhere because there’s only one way for rational, law-abiding citizens of our system of government with its separation of powers spelled out in a Constitution to look at it: Invading Venezuela and kidnapping its president and his wife/adviser with no legitimate provocation and without consulting Congress is an illegitimate act of war.

     The nonsense about Venezuela being a primary source of Fentanyl coming into this country is just that, nonsense. This is all about oil. Always has been. Gaining control of Venezuela’s vast oil reserves. Wait to see which of Trump’s wealthy backers benefit.

      That Nicolas Maduro was a much-hated dictator does not justify attacking Venezuela and looking to change the government with no request for intervention and the claim that he was in fact a major drug dealer himself for allowing the drug trade to continue is sheer nonsense when one considers the actual major drug dealers Trump has pardoned.

     Trump says we’re going to “run” Venezuela for a while. Why? They have a new president — the former Vice President. Trump says Maduro is going to be charged with drug charges in New York. There are international courts.

      Then there’s the fact that China and Russia both get a lot of oil from Venezuela and our seizing the country to make up for losing control of its oil fields when they were nationalized seems to give China an argument for taking back Taiwan and its wealth and Russia invading Ukraine for its. Same authoritarian playbook.

    Illegal. Dangerous. Foolhardy. Unwanted and unwarranted. If you believe what we tell the world, unAmerican.

   Americans don’t want this. Congress must step in. Republicans must finally find the courage to do their job. He is out of control.

    The Epstein files are still out there. Trump’s name is all over them. War is a powerful distraction. Frightened and unchecked, he will only get worse. It’s only January 3rd.

Footnote: The plane carrying Maduro and his wife apparently landed at Stewart Airport in Orange County, my neighborhood and a short ride to New York City. When the hostages from Iran landed there, it was a much more joyous event,