Trump and his obsession with the Nobel Peace Prize is a story that's not new. From 2018 to the present, he has been nominated for the prize six times by several individuals, yet he has not yet received one.
US President Donald Trump has been nominated by Republican leader Buddy Carter for Nobel Peace Prize for brokering the ceasefire between Israel and Iran. He credited Trump for ‘preventing the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism from obtaining the most lethal weapon on the planet.’ Earlier, Pakistan said that the US president deserved a Nobel Peace Prize because of “his decisive diplomatic intervention and pivotal leadership during the recent India-Pakistan crisis”. Trump has repeatedly expressed his disappointment, saying he won't receive the prize, ‘no matter what he does.’ Trump and his obsession with the Nobel Peace Prize is a story that's not new. From 2018 to the present, he has been nominated for the prize six times by several individuals, yet he has not yet received one.
“They should give me the Nobel Prize for Rwanda, Congo, Serbia…the big one is India-Pakistan. I should have gotten it 4-5 times. Abraham Accords would have been a good one. They won’t give me. They only give it to liberals,” Trump bemoaned.
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by Alfred Nobel’s will in 1895. It is awarded annually by the Norwegian Nobel Committee to individuals or organizations that have made significant contributions to peace. National politicians, university professors in history, social sciences, law, philosophy, theology, previous Nobel laureates, members of international courts, directors of peace research institutes, etc can nominate people or organisations for the peace prize. Nominations must be submitted by January 31 each year. So in this case, Pakistan's nomination of Trump is for next year i.e 2026 Nobel Peace Prize.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee, a 5-member body appointed by the Norwegian Parliament, reviews all valid nominations. A shortlist is created—only a handful of candidates are seriously considered. Committee members and advisers analyze the shortlisted nominees’ actual impact on peace.
The Nobel Committee meets to deliberate and a majority vote is required. If no candidate meets the standard, no prize is awarded.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner is officially announced in early October. The announcement is made in Oslo, Norway, unlike other Nobel Prizes, which are announced in Sweden.
Despite multiple nominations, Donald Trump has not been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize due to several key factors considered by the Norwegian Nobel Committee. While he played a role in diplomatic efforts such as the Abraham Accords and initial talks with North Korea, these initiatives were often viewed as incomplete or lacking long-term impact. Critics argue that many of his foreign policy actions were transactional rather than transformative and did not resolve underlying conflicts. Additionally, Trump’s domestic and international human rights record—marked by policies like family separations at the US border and travel bans—ran counter to the Nobel Peace Prize's emphasis on humanitarian values and dignity. His presidency also saw continued military actions, including drone strikes and targeted killings, which conflicted with the Nobel’s focus on disarmament and peaceful conflict resolution.
Furthermore, Trump’s highly polarising political style contrasted with the unifying image typical of past laureates. While some supporters claim ideological bias within the committee—given its ties to Norway’s parliament and perceived liberal leanings—the Nobel Committee has never confirmed such influence.
Trump’s public and frequent promotion of his candidacy for the prize is unusual. Furthermore, Trump has criticized the Nobel committee for awarding the prize to former President Barack Obama. Just a few months into his presidency in 2009, Obama was honoured for his push to curb nuclear weapons and improve relations with the Muslim world. Stating that he shoudl definately get one, Trump in 2019 criticised Obama saying, "They gave one to Obama immediately upon his ascent to the presidency, and he had no idea why he got it. ... That was the only thing I agreed with him on."
"I deserve it, but they would never give me", remains Trump's bottom line on Nobel Peace Prize. Whether or not this would change in future, only time can tell.