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US President Donald Trump unleashed a lengthy critique of the Norwegian Nobel Committee during a campaign rally in Syracuse, New York, on October 9, hours after the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize announcement. Trump described recipient Navi Pillay as a mystery person he had never heard of and argued that the United States, under his leadership, deserved the honor for what he called an unmatched record in resolving conflicts. According to Reuters, Trump listed eight wars he claimed to have settled without providing evidence, adding that he was close to resolving two more involving Iran and Russia-Ukraine. The president warned that Norway would not be forgotten for what he termed a disgraceful choice by radical ideologues who he said were enemies of civilization.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the prize to Pillay, an 85-year-old South African legal expert and former United Nations high commissioner for human rights, for her work on international justice and a UN report that concluded Israel committed genocide in Gaza, multiple outlets including NBC News reported. Trump told the crowd he had settled disputes including those between Cambodia and Thailand, Kosovo and Serbia, and India and Pakistan, claiming any one of them warranted the prize. He asserted that no other president had achieved similar results and that the committee’s selection discredited the entire award, a theme he has repeated in previous years.
Trump has voiced similar frustrations before, including in 2025 when the prize went to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, according to BBC reporting that referenced his pattern of public complaints. Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre had explained to Trump last year that the independent committee based in Oslo, not the government, selects recipients, a point that did little to temper the latest outburst. The president tied his grievances to broader claims that Norway and others were taking advantage of the United States, framing the snub as another example of unfair treatment.
Pillay, who previously served as a judge on the International Criminal Court, joked about sharing the prize with Trump in remarks after the announcement, Gulf News reported. The award includes a gold medal, diploma and prize sum of roughly 1.2 million dollars. Trump maintained in his rally address that he prevented wars between North and South Korea, Japan and North Korea, and China and Taiwan, though he offered no documentation for those assertions during the event.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has operated independently since the prize’s establishment under Alfred Nobel’s will, with the Peace Prize awarded in Oslo rather than Stockholm where other Nobel honors are presented. Trump directed much of his ire at the committee members, calling them anti-democracy figures whose decision represented an indelible stain on Norway that would not be overlooked. He repeated that the United States should have received the prize, positioning his claimed achievements as superior to those of the actual laureate.
Reactions to Trump’s comments varied across political lines, with the president’s supporters at the rally cheering his remarks while critics pointed to the committee’s focus on human rights accountability. The episode marked the latest instance of Trump inserting himself into the Nobel discussion during his second term, building on ambitions he has expressed since his first presidency. Coverage from outlets including The Jerusalem Post highlighted how Trump linked the award to his efforts on Israel, Iran and hostage situations without detailing specific outcomes.
