Trump says he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize but doubts he will get it
United States President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he should win this year’s Nobel Peace Prize but conceded he doubts the Norwegian Nobel Committee will choose him. The committee announces the 2026 laureate on Friday.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump argued he had earned the prize after involving himself in eight conflicts since taking office in January. “I don’t know what their decision is going to be,” he said. “They have a reputation for maybe not giving it to people like me.”
Why Trump wants the Nobel Peace Prize
Trump has pursued the prize openly since returning to the White House. He pointed to what he described as peacemaking in eight conflicts, adding: “It is about that time.” He also recalled being honoured when last year’s recipient, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, said no one in history deserved it more than him. Machado gave her 2025 Nobel Peace Prize medal to Trump in January as she sought United States support for her efforts in Venezuela.
The leaders of Cambodia, Israel and Pakistan have said they nominated Trump for this year’s award, though nominations are not publicly verifiable. Nobel nominations remain sealed for 50 years, and the committee never confirms who is on the list.
The disputes around his record
Parties to some of the conflicts Trump claims to have resolved dispute his account of his diplomatic role. Fighting has flared again in the Democratic Republic of Congo and along the border between Cambodia and Thailand.
A resolution to Russia’s war in Ukraine has continued to elude him, despite his campaign promise to end it on the first day of his second term. The United States and Israeli strikes on Iran have meanwhile led to a seven-month simmering conflict that has unsettled global energy supplies.
Who might win instead
Among those named as favourites for this year’s prize are Pope Leo, the International Criminal Court, and the special rapporteur for the Palestinian Territories. Trump has long complained about the prize, and about Barack Obama winning it in 2009, in the early months of his first term.
FAQ
When is the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize announced?
Friday, October 9, 2026, by the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo.
Who has nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize?
The leaders of Cambodia, Israel and Pakistan have said they nominated him, though this cannot be verified. The Nobel committee keeps all nominations sealed for 50 years.
Has Trump won the Nobel Peace Prize before?
No. Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who won the 2025 prize, gave her medal to Trump in January 2026, but that did not make him a laureate.
