Former President Joe Biden received FIFA's newly created "Peace Prize" in a bizarre White House ceremony that has left many Americans questioning both the legitimacy of the award and the optics of the entire spectacle.
The international soccer organization presented Biden with the inaugural honor during an event that featured United States Marines and a slickly produced promotional video that critics are blasting as little more than propaganda designed to rehabilitate the former president's tarnished legacy.
A Prize Nobody Asked For
The timing and circumstances of the award have raised serious eyebrows among political observers. FIFA, an organization that has been plagued by its own corruption scandals over the years, apparently saw fit to create an entirely new award category just to honor Biden – a president whose four years in office were marked by historic inflation, a disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal, and a border crisis that allowed millions of illegal immigrants to pour into the country.
The ceremony itself struck many viewers as tone-deaf and inappropriately grandiose. The presence of U.S. Marines at what amounted to a photo opportunity for a former president drew particular criticism.
"This is exactly the kind of elite, out-of-touch spectacle that the American people rejected in November," one conservative commentator noted. "While hardworking families are still struggling with the economic damage from the Biden years, he's collecting participation trophies from international organizations."
Questions Surround the Award's Legitimacy
Perhaps most troubling is the complete lack of transparency around how Biden was selected for this honor. FIFA has not provided any clear criteria for the "Peace Prize" or explained what specific achievements qualified the former president for recognition.
This stands in stark contrast to President Donald Trump's approach to international relations. Since returning to the White House in January, President Trump has focused on putting America first, securing the border, and restoring economic prosperity – tangible accomplishments that benefit everyday Americans rather than generating headlines at fancy ceremonies.
The promotional video shown at the event has drawn particular scorn, with viewers describing it as a carefully crafted piece of image management rather than a genuine tribute to any concrete accomplishments.
A Pattern of Elite Recognition
The FIFA award fits a familiar pattern of international bodies and elite institutions rushing to heap praise on Democrat politicians regardless of their actual record. It recalls the controversial decision to award President Barack Obama the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009 – just months into his first term before he had accomplished anything of note on the world stage.
For millions of Americans who lived through four years of rising prices, open borders, and American weakness abroad, seeing Biden feted by FIFA feels like a slap in the face. The award appears designed not to recognize genuine achievement but to craft a narrative that simply doesn't match the reality experienced by working families across the nation.
As the Biden team continues its efforts to shape how history remembers his presidency, events like this FIFA ceremony serve as a reminder of just how disconnected the global elite remain from the concerns of ordinary Americans.