6 Fake Awards Donald Trump Has Received During His Second Term (So Far)

President Donald Trump wants to be the man, the myth, the legend, and the receiver of ... fake awards? It's no secret that the commander-in-chief loves to bask in the admiration of his constituents. But more importantly, he enjoys being praised and awarded by fellow world leaders and businessmen. As his second term drags on, Trump has proven that he will accept just about any award as long as it indicates he's the best at something or has accomplished something his predecessors haven't, even if it's as mundane as serving fries at his favorite fast food restaurant.

As Trump ramped up his 2024 presidential campaign, he made a stop at McDonald's to serve a select group of people french fries. The president's visit to the Pennsylvania McDonald's came after his opponent, former Vice President Kamala Harris, gained traction for talking about her time working at the fast food chain. Trump questioned the authenticity of her claim, asserting that, since it's not listed on Harris' resume, it never happened. While Trump most likely didn't put his McDonald's stint on his resume either, North Carolina Representative Chuck Edwards made sure he would have proof that he worked there, even though his shift lasted all of 30 minutes.

The lawmaker presented Trump with a "French Fries Certification Pin," praising his superior ability to serve the popular fast food. "For those of you who did not get to see it, I offered, because you know, I also own McDonald's restaurants, I know that you perfected your skills behind the counter a day or so ago. And it was my honor to present President Trump with the French Fries Certification Pin," Edwards enthused at a Pennsylvania rally, per Mediaite. If you think this is the most ridiculous award Trump has received to date, you would be very, very wrong.

In December 2025, Donald Trump received a knock-off peace prize as FIFA's boss played into his gigantic ego. FIFA President Gianni Infantino presented Trump with the prize ahead of the World Cup draw on December 5. The award was seemingly invented specially for the U.S. president, who was less than pleased when he didn't receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 2025. (There were even rumors that Trump had been disqualified from receiving a Nobel Peace Prize nomination). Infantino, who publicly backed Trump to receive the peace prize, took to Instagram in October 2025 to praise Trump for negotiating a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. "President Donald J. Trump definitely deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for his decisive actions," Infantino penned.

Trump was visibly pleased with the FIFA award, calling it "truly one of the great honors of my life" per CNN. FIFA, on its website, noted that the peace prize is awarded to "individuals who have taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace and by doing so have united people across the world." Given all the unrest and wars Trump has since incited, it doesn't quite seem like he fits the criteria. In January 2026, he authorized airstrikes in Venezuela and abducted its president, Nicolás Maduro — without congressional approval — and in February 2026, started a war with Iran, also without congressional approval.

The president's actions since he received the award have left some FIFA officials red-faced, with one telling The Guardian that many at FIFA feel "deep embarrassment" over the award. Many others concurred, with some admitting that they are afraid of being associated with the divisive politician for fear of what it might do to their own reputations.

As Donald Trump nursed his wounds after it was revealed that he had not won the Nobel Peace Prize in October 2025, the Nixon Foundation stepped in to save the day with a consolation prize. The Architect of Peace Award, presented by the foundation, is a very real award, but whether the president was actually a worthy recipient was debatable. The foundation states that the award is given to those who are working towards "shaping a more peaceful world," per CBS News. While Trump did manage to negotiate a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas at the time, no lasting peace has ensued. And not to mention, in 2026, he started a war of his own with Iran.

Netizens flooded to X in the wake of Trump receiving the Architect of Peace Award to ponder the irony. "HE CAN'T EVEN MAKE HIS OWN COUNTRY SAFE AND [HE] GETS AN AWARD?! WTF!" one disgruntled user penned. "So the guy who tried to overthrow democracy just got an award named after the guy who resigned in disgrace. You can't make this up," another noted. "LOL! I didn't realize there was a participation trophy for corrupt, malignantly narcissistic, megalomaniacal presidents, but here it is," someone else chimed in. Others thought Trump was a very worthy recipient.

In his bid to win the Nobel Peace Prize, Trump repeatedly claimed that he had ended eight wars in as many months, but this wasn't actually true. Many of the so-called wars he claimed to have ended were simply tensions between countries like Egypt and Ethiopia that hadn't escalated into a war. The so-called war he ended between Serbia and Kosovo didn't exist either. Trump claimed these wars were categorized as "unendable" during his U.N. speech in September 2025, per AP News.

In January 2026, Donald Trump accepted a hand-me-down Nobel Peace Prize to the embarrassment of many of his constituents. Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who was awarded the prize in 2025, presented her medal to the president in a gesture of goodwill as he weighed the political future of her country. Trump had initially said he wasn't planning on supporting Machado as Venezuela's new leader, asserting she lacks support from Venezuelans, which technically wasn't true.

"I presented the president of the United States the medal of the Nobel Peace Prize," Machado told journalists in the aftermath, per the BBC. "[It is] a recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom." Machado's actions led the Nobel Peace Prize committee to release a statement reiterating that the prize cannot be transferred to another individual. "The decision is final and stands for all time," the statement noted.

Trump heaped praise on Machado after she gave him her medal. While he initially said her constituents don't "respect" her, he changed his tune after she gifted him her Peace Prize. "I had a great meeting yesterday by a person who I have a lot of respect for — and she has respect, obviously, for me and our country — and she gave me her Nobel Prize," Trump told reporters, per NBC News. "But I'll tell you what: I got to know her. I never met her before, and I was very, very impressed. She's a really — this is a fine woman." He hinted that he might change his mind when it comes to her running Venezuela in the future. There haven't been any new developments as of this writing.

With seemingly everyone rushing to present Donald Trump with an award to curry favor, members of his own party quickly hopped on the trend, inventing an award of their own to present to the president. And so the inaugural America First reward was fashioned, in Trump's favorite color, no less. House Speaker Mike Johnson crafted the new bogus award for Trump's ego and presented it to the president at a GOP congressional fundraiser in March 2026, heaping praise on the commander-in-chief. "We're going to do something we've never done before. We're going to honor him with a new award that we'll present annually from this point forward, but he is the suitable and fitting recipient of the first-ever America First award," Johnson enthused (via X). "We can think of no better title for what that is ... that's this beautiful golden statue here, appropriate for the new golden era in America."

The award, which appears to have been solely invented to please Trump, left many lawmakers shaking their heads in dismay. "They have to treat the president like a child. So embarrassing for everyone involved," Rhode Island Representative Seth Magaziner penned on X. Florida Representative Kathy Castor also weighed in, writing, "More gold statues for Donald Trump while TSA agents wait for paychecks?! How very out of touch." Many ordinary American citizens also pulled up their noses at the Republican Party's obvious attempt to suck up to the president. "Even Kim Jong Un is blushing at this amount of propaganda," one opined. "They are now the Participation Award Party," another chimed in.

In February 2026, Donald Trump was presented with an award that had a title so elaborate, one wondered if the president named it himself. The Washington Coal Club gave Trump the "Undisputed Champion of Beautiful, Clean Coal" award after he revived the coal industry, so to speak. Peabody Energy CEO James Grech presented the president with the award as the U.S. defense department readied to spend billions on coal at the president's direction. "We stand here today representing the thousands of coalminers across the country to express our deep gratitude to you, sir, for the actions you've taken to support our industry," Grech told Trump as he presented him with the award, per The Guardian. Needless to say, the jokes wrote themselves, especially since Trump, in his acceptance speech, appeared to have trouble pronouncing the word "undisputed."

"You've never had a better friend in the Oval Office than me," he told Grech and the coal miners gathered (via Right Side Broadcasting Network). As he seemingly went on to say how proud he is to receive the award, Trump gave up halfway through trying to pronounce "undisputed." He gave it another go seconds later and was more successful. The Daily Show host Jordan Klepper made fun of Trump slurring his words and mockingly presented him with "the inaugural award for winning the most inaugural awards," followed by an award for his attempt to pronounce "undisputed."

Netizens also weighed in with their two cents, with one commenting on X, "We are at the stage where we are making up awards to give to an insane toddler to keep him happy. This is the dumbest timeline." Another opined, "Clean coal is an oxymoron, so giving it to the head moron seems about right."

Donald Trump's fragile ego has been on full display during his second term, and he's practically begged the American people to love him on one occasion. Some heeded the call. In March 2026, Olympic bobsled champion Kaillie Humphries presented Trump with the Order of Ikkos medallion. Per the United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum, "The medal is a symbol of coaching excellence," and athletes can present it to individuals who played a significant part in their Olympic journey. Usually, the medal goes to a coach, sometimes a family member, and more recently, the president of the United States.

Humphries gave her medal to Trump during a Women's History Month event at the White House, praising the president for improving access to IVF, which helped her get pregnant, and passing legislation that bans transgender women from competing in women's sports. Trump looked surprised as Humphries announced she would be presenting the medal to him, exclaiming, "I knew I liked her!" per the New York Post. Humphries emphasized that Trump is the first president to receive the medal. "Isn't he just the best?" she said as she and Trump posed for photographs.

While Humphries' statement that Trump banned transgender women from competing in female sports is true, her claim that he made IVF more accessible isn't as clear-cut. Some have argued that the executive order Trump signed in February 2025 to make the treatment more accessible will not come to fruition. Democratic Representative Tammy Duckworth argued in a statement that Trump's IVF promises are empty ones. "Don't be fooled. Donald Trump's executive order does nothing to expand access to IVF. In fact, he's the reason IVF is at risk in the first place," Duckworth argued, per HuffPost.