Trump Criticizes Norway Over Nobel Peace Prize Snub

Former U.S. President Donald Trump expressed strong disapproval on Friday toward the Norwegian Nobel Committee after the announcement that the 2026 Peace Prize was awarded to South African jurist Navi Pillay, rather than himself. He described the decision as disgraceful and warned Norway that he would not forget the slight.

According to Reuters, Trump voiced his discontent during a political rally held shortly after the committee’s announcement. "This is a permanent stain on the country of Norway and the individuals who made such an embarrassing and shameful decision," he declared to his supporters.

Trump went even further, questioning the award's credibility: "The Nobel Peace Prize has been forever discredited by a handful of radical ideologues who are anti-democratic and true enemies of civilization. And we will not forget, Norway."

The former president also claimed that the prize should have gone to the United States, represented by him as its leader: "The United States of America, under my presidency, deserved the Nobel Peace Prize, yet it was denied."

Regarding Pillay, 85, who has a distinguished career in advocating for international law and human rights, Trump admitted he was unfamiliar with her: "I’ve never heard of this person. No one has," he stated, labeling her as a "mysterious figure."

Pillay herself responded humorously. Upon receiving the news in Nuremberg, amidst a cheering crowd, she quipped, "If you applaud a bit more, maybe I'll share this prize with Trump."

This marks Trump’s second consecutive defeat in his quest for the Nobel during his second term. The previous Friday, he had told reporters in the Oval Office that he deserved the prize for intervening in eight conflicts, though he acknowledged doubts about his chances.

At the rally, Trump listed various geopolitical tensions where he claimed to have played a crucial role — between the two Koreas, between Japan and North Korea, and between China and Taiwan — without providing evidence to support his claims.

CNN's analysis suggests that Trump’s own actions during his second term damaged any real chance of winning the prize: the war with Iran that began in February 2026, now over seven months long, and the invasion of Venezuela to capture Nicolás Maduro, which Trump described at the U.N. General Assembly with the phrase "to the victor belong the spoils," hardly align with the profile of a Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

In the Syracuse rally, he reiterated that same phrase regarding Venezuela, adding, "We're taking it for ourselves. We deserve it."

It’s important to remember that the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded by a five-member committee appointed by the Norwegian Parliament, completely independent of the Norwegian government—an important distinction that Trump overlooked while directing his criticism at Norway.

Last year, when he also did not receive the prize—which went to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado—FIFA created its own "Peace Award" and presented it to Trump in December 2025.

Machado even symbolically handed over her Nobel medal to him at the White House on January 15, 2026, although the Nobel Institute clarified that the award is non-transferable and Machado remains the official laureate.

The Nobel Peace Prize 2026 ceremony is scheduled for December 10 in Oslo, where Pillay will receive the award, which comes with a prize of 12 million Swedish crowns.