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Why did Trump get NRSC Champion for Freedom Award? Internet calls it a 'cheap brass bowl' to 'stroke his ego'

A number of factors could be at play behind NRSC chair and Florida Senator Rick Scott presenting the award to the former president

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), over the weekend, conferred former president Donald Trump with the inaugural Champion for Freedom Award. The award was presented by Florida Senator and chair of the NRSC Rick Scott, who is known to be a Trump ally. In a statement, the NRSC said the award is given to “conservative leaders who have worked tirelessly to create good jobs, protect the values that make our country great, and stop the Democrats’ socialist agenda”. It added that Trump received the award since he “delivered for the American people by appointing three pro-Constitution judges to the Supreme Court, cutting taxes for middle-class families and job creators, and securing the border”. 

Scott, who took over as the NRSC chair in January, said Trump is a proven champion for all people of America who ensured during his presidency that the government was out of the way of people’s success and enabled American families and job creators to reach new heights. He said the award was to recognize Trump’s service to the country. Scott also tweeted on Monday, April 11, a picture of himself with Trump who is holding the award -- a small silver bowl. The picture was taken at a Republican event last Saturday, April 10, at the Mar-a-Lago Club. “This weekend I was proud to recognize President Donald Trump with the inaugural @NRSC Champion for Freedom Award. President Trump fought for American workers, secured the border, and protected our constitutional rights,” the GOP senator wrote in the tweet. 

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But the critics were not convinced with the move and said it was a “participation trophy” for the former president. Intelligencer carried a report in which Jonathan Chait who said neither Trump worked tirelessly, something several of his staff members have revealed before the media over the years nor could he stop the Democrats’ socialist agenda as the Republicans ended up losing the presidency and the two chambers of the Congress when he was around. 

Yet, the NRSC decided to give the former president the award. What could be the actual reasons for the move?

Here are some probable reasons.

Scott could try to ease things within GOP

Scott, a longtime supporter of Trump who believes the feuds within the GOP are over, has tried to settle things between Trump and other Republican leaders who the former president has taken on in recent times. But his role as the head of the NRSC could put him at odds with the former president who still has a big voice in the GOP. As the chair of the committee, Scott, 68, has vowed to back the party’s incumbent senators in the midterm elections of 2022, including the likes of Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) who is unlikely to get Trump’s support. So the award could be a move to placate the mercurial former president. 

Did Scott feel discouraged by Trump-DeSantis closeness?

Secondly, Scott could feel discouraged by rumors that Trump could make current Florida Governor Ron DeSantis his running mate if he runs for the presidency again in 2024, something many in the GOP believe he will. Trump asked DeSantis, with whom he shares a rapport, to share the stage with him during his speech on Saturday, April 9. According to POLITICO Playbook, Trump used his speech to convey to his donors that he was “disappointed” in Mike Pence, his former vice president and privately told advisers that if he runs for the White House again, he wanted DeSantis as his deputy. DeSantis, who succeeded Scott as the governor of Florida a decade ago, is known to have an icy relationship with the latter. Did Scott, through the award, want to put across his case to the former president and stop DeSantis from running away with a possible plum post in 2024?

Was the award an effort to please Trump support base?

Another reason why Trump was given the award could be his clout in the GOP. The businessman-politician continues to wield a strong influence in the party and he was awarded in order to win the confidence of his supporters whose blessings the GOP requires to win future electoral challenges, especially the midterms in 2022. The Hill said in a report: “That the NRSC would present Trump with a never-before-issued award isn’t entirely surprising, given the outsize influence the former president still carries among the GOP’s base of conservative voters.”

As PoliticusUSA’s Jason Easley said in an article: “There is no floor for how low Republicans will go to appease Trump.”

Ex-POTUS trolled on social media

The former president was brutally trolled over his award on social media. Here are some reactions that came pouring in over the incident. Tim Miller, author at The Bulwark, tweeted: "The NRSC made up a new award, bought a down market brass bowl from World Market and presented it to Donald Trump this weekend as if he were the winner of a c-list pro-am golf tournament."

Punchbowl News founder Jake Sherman said: "The ⁦@NRSC gave an award to Donald trump. Over the weekend, trump called ⁦@LeaderMcConnell — senate gop leader — a dumb son of a bitch. Below is the photo of ⁦@SenRickScott giving trump the award, included in an email the nrsc sent out this morning." Political strategist and commentator Ana Navarro-Cardenas said in a post: "Senator from Florida, head of the NRSC, makes-up some award, buys some cheap bowl, to stroke the ego of the guy who just called Mitch McConnell a “dumb son of a bitch”...oh, and who helped promote an insurrection."
 

The Lincoln Project mocked Scott tweeting: ".@senrickscott gives Donald Trump the @NRSC’s first annual “Seditionist in Chief” award." Emeritus scholar and contributing editor Normal Ornstein said: "How low can the NRSC sink? There appears to be no limit"