US President Donald Trump has made another public push for the Nobel Peace Prize, saying he believes he deserves the 2026 award while admitting he is unsure whether the Norwegian Nobel Committee will choose
him.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday, Trump said the announcement was approaching and suggested he had reason to expect recognition.
“It is about that time,” Trump said. “But I was very honoured to receive it indirectly last time by the recipient, who said nobody in history deserves it more than President Trump.”
Trump claimed he had settled eight wars since returning to office and said his efforts had gone beyond those of previous US presidents.
“I’ve done stuff that nobody else has ever done. I’m not bragging, I’m just telling you the facts. No president has probably ever settled any wars. I settled eight wars.”
The 2026 Nobel Peace Prize is due to be announced on Friday. Trump acknowledged that he could be overlooked, saying the committee had “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. And I’m not saying that out of scorn, I’m saying that when you settle eight wars, and nobody’s never,” he added.
Trump compares himself with Obama
Trump also questioned the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to former US President Barack Obama.
“Obama got it, and he didn’t do anything,” Trump said. “He still doesn’t know what he got it for. He got it when he got elected, right at the beginning, and he had no idea why he got it.”
The US president also recalled that last year’s peace laureate Venezuela’s Maria Corina Machado had handed over her prize to him at the Oval Office
“Last time they gave it to a young lady who’s a fabulous person, and she said she didn’t deserve it, that I deserved it, and she gave it to me,” Trump said.
Peace claims face scrutiny
Trump has said his administration helped address eight conflicts and prevented others through diplomatic pressure and the threat of tariffs.
Leaders of Cambodia, Israel and Pakistan have said they nominated him, although such claims cannot be independently verified.
However, some parties to conflicts Trump says he helped resolve have disputed the extent of his role, while fighting has resumed in parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo and along the Cambodia-Thailand border.
Trump has also yet to secure a lasting end to the war in Ukraine, despite previously promising to end it quickly.
The US president has also pointed to his efforts involving Iran, where months of conflict have continued following US and Israeli strikes.
The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded independently by the Norwegian Nobel Committee. Other names and institutions mentioned among potential contenders include Pope Leo, the International Criminal Court and the UN special rapporteur for the Palestinian territories.
(With inputs from agencies)
