17 January—Wow and oh boy! Trump Tyrannus just got his second peace prize! You’ll recall that last month FIFA, the good folks who corrupt soccer all over the world, awarded him their inaugural annual Peace Prize in recognition of his “exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace,” specifically citing his efforts to unite people across the world. [FIFA must know something nobody else knows. And when will the equally corrupt IOC—International Olympic Committee—start awarding peace prizes? Ed.]

You’ll also recall that when María Machado was deservedly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last October, she insisted it should have gone to Trump. We won’t speculate on her motivation. But she should have known better.

Nevertheless, just a couple of days ago, Sra. Machado actually followed through and awarded her Nobel Peace Prize to Trump Tyrannus. Well, she gave him the gold Nobel medal in a gold-colored frame, anyway, embellished with this obvious sucking up on two discrete pages:

“To President Donald J. Trump. In gratitude for your extraordinary leadership in promoting peace through strength, advancing diplomacy, and defending liberty and prosperity.” [Bully that! Bully’s the word. Ed.]

“Presented as a Personal Symbol of Gratitude on behalf of the Venezuelan People in Recognition of President Trump’s Principled and Decisive Actions to Secure a Free Venezuela. [Certainly decisive. But principled? Ed.]

“The Courage of America and its President Donald J. Trump will Never be Forgotten by the Venezuelan People.” [Probably right. And why all the capitals? Ed.]

All that sucking up and Trump Tyrannus still disses Sra. Machado. Unlike Trump, she has earned and certainly deserves the respect of the world. But to Trump she’s only a woman he can’t grope—diplomatically or otherwise.

In spite of that, have you ever seen Trump Tyrannus looking genuinely happier than in the photo below? He’s coveted the Nobel Peace Prize since who knows when, to be sure. But there’s also the gold in the medal to indulge his notorious passion for gilded glitz. The medal weighs about 5.6 Troy ounces of 18-karat—75 percent—electrum (green gold) and is plated with 24-karat gold. So at the current spot price there’s about $20,000 worth of gold in Trump’s secondhand Nobel medal. Silver comprises the other 25 percent of the electrum, with perhaps a soupçon of copper, so it adds only about $125 to the intrinsic value.

The cash award that went along with last year’s Nobel Peace Prize medal and diploma was about $1.2 million. Bupkes—to Trump Tyrannus, anyway. The scratch varies depending on the Nobel Foundation’s investment returns. And if Sra. Machado were a U.S. resident it would be taxed as ordinary income. The United States is one of the few countries that tax such windfalls.

To be continued . . .