President Donald Trump used a rally in upstate New York to lash out at the Norwegian Nobel Committee after it awarded the Peace Prize to South African jurist Navanethem Pillay, a former U.N. human rights chief.
Trump said the prize was 'an indelible stain on the country of Norway' and argued he 'should have received the Nobel Peace Prize, but didn't.' He described Pillay as 'a liberal person who works at the United Nations who nobody has ever heard of.'
The event was meant to promote Bruce Blakeman, the Republican nominee in the New York governor's race, but Trump spent much of the rally on the Nobel decision, Democrats, and his own record. He also attacked New York Attorney General Letitia James, whom he called 'a dog.'
Trump has claimed to have ended eight wars, though the report says some of the conflicts he cites were only tensions and that his role in easing them has been disputed. The war with Iran that he and Israel started remains unsettled. Trump had predicted it would last mere weeks.
That conflict is already a political drag. An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll published Oct. 1 found 71% of U.S. adults disapproved of Trump's handling of Iran, with 28% approving. The same report said the conflict has pushed gas prices higher and that voters blame Trump for the high cost of living.
The polling picture is equally weak on the economy. The AP-NORC survey found only 26% of U.S. adults approved of Trump's handling of the economy, a new low, down from 32% in July. Only 17% approved of his handling of the cost of living.
At the rally, Trump said, 'The poverty rate has just reached its lowest level, the best number,' and 'The job numbers are the best. The stock market has soared.' He also urged oil retailers to 'start dropping their prices now.' AAA said gas had fallen a few cents per gallon in the last week but remained about 15 cents higher per gallon than a month ago.
The market has already voted on the broader question of confidence. When the White House keeps adding geopolitical risk and the cost of living keeps climbing, it is the taxpayer, the consumer and the investor who end up carrying the leverage. Awards and applause matter less than results, and the paper trail here is plain.
