Trump Says He Deserved Eight Nobel Peace Prizes, Slams Norway After Award Goes to Former UN Rights Chief

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — President Donald Trump lashed out at the Norwegian Nobel Committee on Friday, hours after the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize went to South African jurist Navi Pillay, insisting he should have received the award multiple times over for what he describes as his record of ending wars.

Speaking at a midterm election campaign rally in Syracuse, New York, Trump said the prize had been given to someone he had never heard of and dismissed the winner as an unknown figure.

Trump repeated his long-standing claim that he has ended eight wars since returning to the White House, arguing that resolving even one of them should have been enough to earn the honor. He said he should have received eight Nobel Prizes, one for each conflict, and called the committee's choice an "indelible stain" on those responsible for what he described as a shameful decision.

He also took aim at Norway directly, saying the country would not be forgotten for refusing to give him the award, and accused a small group of radicals of permanently damaging the prize's credibility, SBS reported.

Who won

The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize to Navanethem "Navi" Pillay, a former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and former judge at the International Criminal Court, "for her efforts to promote peace and international law."

Announcing the prize in Oslo, committee chair Jørgen Watne Frydnes praised Pillay's lifelong legal career.

"Pillay's commitment to universal legal principles and her firm moral compass are constants in a long career," Frydnes said.

Pillay was born into a family of Indian Tamil origin in Durban, South Africa, under apartheid. She became a lawyer and legal pioneer, confronting deep discrimination and segregation before rising to serve on international tribunals and lead the U.N.'s human rights office. The committee cited her role in ensuring that war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide are prosecuted.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa congratulated Pillay, while the U.N. human rights office praised her as a staunch defender of human rights. Pillay dedicated the award to survivors of international crimes.

A light moment at Trump's expense

Pillay drew laughter shortly after learning of her win when she referenced Trump's well-known pursuit of the prize.

"If you clap a little bit more I may share this prize with Trump," she said.

A long campaign for the prize

Trump has openly sought the Nobel Peace Prize for years, frequently citing his role in brokering ceasefires and peace deals around the world.

At his Syracuse rally, he again listed conflicts he says he helped resolve, including fighting between India and Pakistan and the war between Israel and Hamas. He also claimed credit for preventing wars between South Korea and North Korea, Japan and North Korea, and China and Taiwan.

Trump said he expected the conflicts in Iran and Ukraine to be resolved soon. On Iran, which the United States is currently at war with, he suggested the situation would end quickly one way or another.

Many experts and fact-checkers have disputed Trump's claims, noting that several of the conflicts he cites were not full-scale wars or remain unresolved.

Trump had previewed his frustration earlier in the week. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday, he said he did not know what the committee would decide.

"They have a reputation for maybe not giving it to people like me," Trump said.

History of tension with Norway

The snub is not the first time Trump's pursuit of the prize has caused friction with Norway.

Last year's prize went to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who dedicated the award to Trump. In January, during a visit to the White House, Machado presented her Nobel medal to Trump, saying he deserved it. The Nobel committee has noted that once announced, a prize cannot be shared or transferred.

After the 2025 award, White House communications director Steven Cheung accused the committee of putting "politics over peace."

In a later message to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Trump suggested the snub had changed his outlook.

"Considering your country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS," Trump wrote, "I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace."

The Norwegian government has repeatedly stressed that the Nobel Committee is independent and that its decisions are not made by the government.

US moves against the ICC

The prize announcement coincided with new action from the Trump administration against the court where Pillay once served. Hours after Pillay was named the winner, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced fresh sanctions on the International Criminal Court, which he called a "rogue court."

The ICC, established in 2002, prosecutes individuals accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. The Trump administration has repeatedly clashed with the court over investigations involving the United States and its allies.

Obama comparisons

Trump has frequently contrasted his record with that of former President Barack Obama, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009, less than a year into his first term. Trump has argued that Obama did nothing to earn the award, and he has often raised the comparison when making his own case.

The Nobel Peace Prize will be formally presented in Oslo on Dec. 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death.

For Trump, the latest rejection is unlikely to end his campaign for the award. His supporters have argued that progress on ending the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East could make him a stronger candidate in future years, while critics say his foreign policy, including the ongoing war with Iran, makes the prize unlikely.