Full Breakdown
Trump Pushes for 2026 Nobel Peace Prize Amid Ongoing Conflicts
By Drooid · · How we work
Trump’s Renewed Bid for the Nobel Peace Prize
The president reiterated the claim during a later Oval Office appearance, noting that the 2025 laureate, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, had given him her Nobel medal in January 2026 and said no one in history deserved the prize more than Trump.
Background and Nomination Process
The Norwegian Nobel Committee will announce the 2026 Peace Prize on October 9 2026. Reuters reported 287 candidates—208 individuals and 79 organizations—have been nominated, with the shortlist sealed for 50 years. Leaders of Cambodia, Israel and Pakistan have publicly claimed to have nominated Trump, though the committee says such claims cannot be verified.
Official Statements & Responses
Trump’s campaign for the award has been consistent since his return to the White House in January 2025. He has framed his foreign-policy actions—hostage recoveries, economic pressure on adversaries, and the U.S.–Israel strikes on Iran—as peace-building achievements. The White House has not issued a formal response to the Nobel Committee’s deliberations, but a senior administration official told The Post that “the president deserves it” while acknowledging likely reluctance. The Committee’s secretive process is described by its members as accustomed to lobbying but insulated from external pressure.
Criticism and Expert Assessment
Several experts have questioned Trump’s suitability. Haakon Gjerløw, acting director of the Peace Research Institute Oslo, called the ongoing war with Iran a “big strike against him” and warned the committee that awarding the prize to Trump could “do more harm than good.” Dr. Arta Moeini, director of research at the Institute for Peace & Diplomacy, noted that Trump’s chances are “very low” and that the prize is likely to go to a humanitarian organization rather than a sitting head of state.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- Nomination claims: Cambodia, Israel and Pakistan say they nominated Trump, but the committee cannot confirm these submissions.
- Conflict resolution claims: Trump asserts eight wars have been settled; parties to several of those conflicts (e.g., the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Cambodia-Thailand border) dispute his diplomatic role and report renewed fighting.
- Award transfer: Machado’s 2025 medal was physically handed to Trump, but the Nobel Institute clarified that the award itself remains with the original laureate and cannot be transferred.
Verbatim Quotes
- “There’s never been anybody in the history of the Nobel Prize that deserves it more. I did, I settled eight wars. And I’ve stopped maybe the total obliteration of the world because Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.” — Donald Trump
- “I don't know what their decision's going to be. They have a reputation for maybe not giving it to people like me. But whether I get it or not, I have done far more, and I think it would be a great discredit to them,” — Donald Trump
- “Through the conflict in Iran and through addressing this situation in Iran, he’s trying to ultimately get to peace. You will never get to peace in the Middle East until you have the leading state sponsor of terrorism under control.” — Haakon Gjerløw
- “At an overall level, it is clear that the world is not developing in the right direction,” — Kristian Berg Harpviken
What’s Next
The Nobel Peace Prize laureate will be announced on October 9 2026 at the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo, with the award ceremony scheduled for December 10 2026 at Oslo City Hall.