President Donald Trump did not receive this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, even after successfully negotiating a landmark ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that brought an end to more than two years of intense fighting.
The outcome wasn’t viewed as a deliberate slight, but rather a matter of unfortunate timing. The Norwegian Nobel Committee, made up of five members, had already chosen its winner on Monday—two days before the ceasefire deal was finalized—awarding the honor to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado.
“We receive thousands and thousands of letters every year of people wanting to say what — for them — leads to peace,” explained Nobel Committee chair Jørgen Watne Frydnes on Friday.
“This committee sits in a room filled with the portraits of all laureates. That room is filled with both courage and integrity. We base only our decision on the work and will of Alfred Nobel.”
Following the announcement of the Gaza ceasefire, scenes of jubilation broke out both in Tel Aviv and in the devastated streets of Gaza. Videos circulated online showing people chanting Trump’s name, with some calling out, “Nobel Prize to Trump!”
Trump has also been widely praised for his ongoing diplomatic efforts during his second term, particularly for helping to de-escalate tensions between Russia and Ukraine.
Supporters have cited his role in mediating long-standing international disputes — including those between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, Cambodia and Thailand, India and Pakistan, Serbia and Kosovo, Egypt and Ethiopia, and Azerbaijan and Armenia — as evidence that he deserves the prestigious recognition.
Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.) became the latest to officially nominate the president for the honor on Thursday, praising him “in recognition of his extraordinary record of diplomatic achievement.”
In his nomination letter to Frydnes, Barr wrote that no “world leader has done more to advance peace and prosperity in the world than President Donald Trump.”
According to a source close to the president, Trump and his team had not expected a win this year, noting that they view the 2026 prize as a more realistic goal given the timeline of his recent peace initiatives.
Detractors, however, argue that Trump’s record is not without controversy, pointing to incidents such as June’s bombing of Iranian nuclear sites, his remarks about potentially acquiring Greenland from Denmark, and his decision to rename the Defense Department as the Department of War as reasons he should not have been eligible for the honor.
To date, only four U.S. presidents have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize: Theodore Roosevelt in 1906, Woodrow Wilson in 1920, Jimmy Carter in 2002, and Barack Obama in 2009.
The lunacy of pointing to Trump’s bonding of Iran as a partial justification while noting that Barack Obama (who notably droned civilians and American citizens) was awarded a Nobel is unbridled.
Reply to comment #1
Obama’s skin color was clearly the deciding factor! Why the query?