At the NRCC's annual fundraising dinner on March 25, 2026, House Speaker Mike Johnson announced that Republicans had “created a new award” — the first-ever “America First Award” — and immediately gave it to Trump. The award is a golden eagle statue.
Johnson presented it with full sycophantic fanfare: “We have created a new award. We're going to do something we've never done before.” He called Trump “the suitable and fitting recipient” and described the statue as “this beautiful golden statue here — appropriate for the new golden era in America.” Johnson praised Trump as working “literally around the clock to fix every issue” and solving “all the domestic problems.”
Jen Psaki captured the absurdity on MSNBC: “Little Mike Johnson and all those Republicans have just created yet another participation trophy to give their very special boy in the White House to make sure he feels good about himself.” Rep. Seth Magaziner called it treating “the President like a child.”
This is part of a pattern. In the span of a few months, Trump has collected: a FIFA Peace Prize (created after Trump was upset about not winning the Nobel), a Washington Coal Club “Undisputed Champion of Beautiful Clean Coal” award, Maria Corina Machado physically handing him her Nobel Peace Prize medal, and now a made-up golden statue from his own party. The Boston Globe headline: “Trump keeps on getting made-up awards.”