President Donald Trump embarked on a puzzling digression at the White House on Friday, declaring that a pro golfer in attendance is “somebody that saves lives.”
Trump spoke to reporters hours after he was disappointed to learn that he was not awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Instead, the honor went to Venezuelan activist María Corina Machado, who reportedly received a congratulatory phone call from Trump. Allies of the president portrayed the decision as a snub of Trump, particularly after he announced the early phases of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas this week.
“So, the person who actually got the Nobel prize called today called me and said, ‘I’m accepting this in honor of you because you really deserved it,'” Trump said. “A very nice thing to do. I didn’t say, ‘Then give it to me,’ though. I could have. I think she might have. She was very nice. And I’ve been, you know, I’ve been helping her along the way. They need a lot of help in Venezuela. It’s a basic disaster.”
He added, “I’m happy because I saved millions of lives, many millions of lives.”
