It’s not the Nobel Prize, but Donald Trump was still pretty excited when Chairman of the 2028 L.A. Olympics organizing committee Casey Wasserman handed him a box of Olympic medals at a White House ceremony today.
During the event, he president signed an executive order establishing a task force on the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, a group that features the president as its chairman.
In presenting the medals, the Wasserman founder and CEO invoked Ronald Reagan, who he said presided over the 1984 games in Los Angeles.
“You’ll preside over our games,” he told Trump and the event. “And so, we have for you a full set of the ’84 original medals.”
After applause, Trump asked, “Can I say I won them athletically?”
Trump later posted about the event no less that five times on Truth Social, including one video of the medal presentation with the caption, “Thank you to Casey Wasserman, Chairman of 2028 LA Olympics…”
Trump was criticized last month when he stayed on the winners dais as English soccer club Chelsea collected their medals and celebrated winning the FIFA Club World Cup. Chelsea captain Reece James appeared to ask Trump, “Are you going to leave?” To which the president smiled and clapped his hands.
Trump was not only seen pocketing one of the medallions that all the Chelsea players received, but the president also said FIFA had gifted him the original Club World Cup trophy and that the hardware held aloft by Chelsea was a copy.
Some have expressed concern that Trump, who has repeatedly claimed credit for landing the L.A. Games, will attach himself to them in a similar way. Many have encouraged him to do so.
During an appearance at a Morgan Stanley media conference earlier this year, Endeavor and TKO exec Mark Shapiro said, “President Trump is going to walk out of office with the trophy that is the L.A. Olympics, that ‘I did it, I brought it back, I was behind it, I put the resources, the support,’” the exec said. “He’ll be sitting front and center. I’m a true believer that this will be his Olympics as much as anything else.”
Trump has for years been obsessed with medals of all kinds, especially the Nobel Peace Prize, which has been given to four other presidents.
Asked in 2018 whether he deserved the prize, Trump answered, “Everyone thinks so, but I would never say it.”
He seemed to change his mind on such self-assertion when queried about the prize again earlier this year.
“They will never give me a Nobel Peace Prize,”” Trump said in response to a reporter’s question. “It’s too bad. I deserve it, but they will never give it to me.”
