POLITICO’S 2025 Backhanded Awards – POLITICO

Step right up for a celebration of the year’s finest political facepalms. POLITICO’s Backhanded Awards are back with all the sparkle of a flickering, energy-efficient fluorescent lightbulb.

Once again, we salute the politicians, power players and public figures who distinguished themselves in the most undistinguished ways. Think of these prizes as the Oscars of self-owning. They’re prestigious (sure, they are), regrettable (for anyone still capable of shame) and most of all entirely deserved. 

The Al Capone award for prison toughness

Nicolas Sarkozy