Donald Trump's Nobel Peace Prize Pursuit: Recognition Eludes Former President Despite Diplomatic Efforts

Donald Trump has long expressed his desire for the Nobel Peace Prize, yet the prestigious award eluded him once again this year.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee instead honored Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, recognizing her "tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy."

Throughout both presidential terms, Trump has been vocal about his aspirations for the award, particularly as he claims credit for resolving international conflicts. He has frequently expressed skepticism about the committee's willingness to recognize his efforts.

"They'll have to do what they do. Whatever they do is fine. I know this: I didn't do it for that. I did it because I saved a lot of lives," Trump stated just before the announcement.

Despite the Nobel committee's decision, the Hostages Families Forum in Israel released a statement supporting Trump: "President Trump's unprecedented achievements in peacemaking this past year speak for themselves, and no award or lack thereof can diminish the profound impact he has had on our families and on global peace."

While Trump received several nominations, many arrived after the February 1 deadline for the 2025 award, which came shortly after the beginning of his second term. Republican Rep. Claudia Tenney of New York had submitted his name in December for his role in brokering the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and several Arab states in 2020.

Trump supporters likely view this rejection as a deliberate slight against the president, especially considering his involvement in negotiating the initial phase of ending the devastating two-year war between Israel and Hamas.

Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel committee, noted that they receive "thousands and thousands of letters every year" advocating for various peace initiatives. "We base only our decision on the work and the will of Alfred Nobel," he emphasized.

The Nobel Peace Prize, first awarded in 1901, was established partly to encourage ongoing peace efforts. Alfred Nobel stipulated that recipients should be those who have done "the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses."

Three sitting U.S. presidents have previously received the Nobel Peace Prize: Theodore Roosevelt (1906), Woodrow Wilson (1919), and Barack Obama (2009). Jimmy Carter won in 2002, long after his presidency, and former Vice President Al Gore received the award in 2007.

Trump has criticized Obama's early-tenure Nobel recognition, stating, "He got the prize for doing nothing. They gave it to Obama for doing absolutely nothing but destroying our country."

Trump frequently cites ending seven wars as justification for deserving the award, though critics dispute both the nature of some of these "conflicts" and his role in resolving them.

While progress has been made toward ending the Israel-Hamas war, with Israel announcing a ceasefire agreement on Friday, uncertainty remains about Hamas disarmament and Gaza's future governance. Similarly, little advancement has occurred in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, despite Trump's campaign claim that he could end it "in one day"—a remark he later described as jest.

Trump invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to Alaska in August for peace talks but did not extend the same invitation to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The summit yielded no resolution, and the war that began with Russia's 2022 invasion continues.

As Trump pursues peaceful resolutions abroad, the United States remains politically divided under his leadership. He has initiated what he hopes will be the largest deportation program in American history, utilized government institutions against perceived political enemies, and deployed military forces in U.S. cities to address crime and enforce immigration policies.

His administration withdrew from the Paris climate agreement, initiated global trade wars through tariff policies, and expanded presidential war powers by declaring cartels as unlawful combatants and authorizing lethal strikes against suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean.

The complete list of Nobel Peace Prize nominees remains confidential, though nominators may disclose their submissions publicly. Trump's critics suggest that some nominations—particularly those announced publicly—come from individuals seeking to curry favor with him rather than from genuine belief in his qualifications.

Additional nominations for Trump—submitted after this year's deadline—came from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, and Pakistan's government, all citing his contributions to conflict resolution in their regions.