The Nobel Peace Prize winner is set to be announced on Friday, with US President Donald Trump emerging as a notable nominee supported by his administration and international figures. The two-time president has actively campaigned for the accolade since his first term, asserting that he merits the honour.
Months after starting his second term, Trump started claiming that he had stopped seven wars in seven months, and repeatedly quipped that he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize . But as the date approaches, Trump has stated that the Nobel Committee would find a way not to give him the award.
When asked by a journalist at the White House whether he thought he could win the prize, Trump said: "I have no idea... Marco would tell you we settled seven wars. We're close to settling an eighth. I think we'll end up settling the Russia situation... I don't think anybody in history has settled that many. But perhaps they'll find a reason not to give it to me."
Also Read: Trump downplays Nobel peace prize chances; says ‘they'll find a reason not to give it to me’
But is there really any chance he could win it? And how many US presidents have actually brought the Nobel home before? Let’s take a look at the record — and the rhetoric — behind Trump’s latest claim
Can Trump win award?
Experts such as Nina Graeger, director of the Peace Research Institute Oslo, have suggested that successfully pressuring Russia to end the war in Ukraine or Israel to stop its war in Gaza would make Trump a viable candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize, Sky News reported.
However, while Trump says that indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas over his 20-point peace plan are "very serious," it appears unlikely that any agreement will be reached before the prize is handed out on Friday.
Experts also indicate that Trump is an unlikely winner for other reasons. Alfred Nobel's will, the award's foundation, states that the prize should go to the person "who has done the most or best to advance fellowship among nations."
According to Graeger, Trump does not meet this criterion. "He has withdrawn the US from the World Health Organization and from the Paris Accord on climate, he has initiated a trade war on old friends and allies," she said. "That is not exactly what we think about when we think about a peaceful president or someone who really is interested in promoting peace."
Anyone can be nominated for the prize, but its website cautions that with "no vetting of nominations," "to simply be nominated is therefore not an official endorsement or honour and may not be used to imply affiliation with the Nobel Peace Prize or its related institutions."
Only individuals who meet certain criteria can nominate someone, including heads of state, members of government, former Nobel winners, and university professors.
Is there any US President won Peace Prize in past
Four US presidents have won the Nobel Peace Prize in the past:
All received the award while in office except Carter, who was awarded the prize retrospectively for his mediation of a peace agreement between Egypt and Israel in 1978.
Obama won the Nobel Prize just nine months into his presidency for "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples".
In his acceptance speech, he acknowledged the surrounding controversy, saying: "Compared to some of the giants of history who've received this prize - Schweitzer and King; Marshall and Mandela - my accomplishments are slight."
It's a fact Trump has taken issue with.
In 2019, he said: "They gave it to Obama. He didn't even know what he got it for. He was there for about 15 seconds and he got the Nobel Prize. "With me, I probably will never get it." At a rally ahead of his second election win in 2024, he told supporters in Detroit: "If I were named Obama I would have had the Nobel Prize given to me in 10 seconds."
Months after starting his second term, Trump started claiming that he had stopped seven wars in seven months, and repeatedly quipped that he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize . But as the date approaches, Trump has stated that the Nobel Committee would find a way not to give him the award.
When asked by a journalist at the White House whether he thought he could win the prize, Trump said: "I have no idea... Marco would tell you we settled seven wars. We're close to settling an eighth. I think we'll end up settling the Russia situation... I don't think anybody in history has settled that many. But perhaps they'll find a reason not to give it to me."
Also Read: Trump downplays Nobel peace prize chances; says ‘they'll find a reason not to give it to me’
But is there really any chance he could win it? And how many US presidents have actually brought the Nobel home before? Let’s take a look at the record — and the rhetoric — behind Trump’s latest claim
Can Trump win award?
Experts such as Nina Graeger, director of the Peace Research Institute Oslo, have suggested that successfully pressuring Russia to end the war in Ukraine or Israel to stop its war in Gaza would make Trump a viable candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize, Sky News reported.
However, while Trump says that indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas over his 20-point peace plan are "very serious," it appears unlikely that any agreement will be reached before the prize is handed out on Friday.
Experts also indicate that Trump is an unlikely winner for other reasons. Alfred Nobel's will, the award's foundation, states that the prize should go to the person "who has done the most or best to advance fellowship among nations."
According to Graeger, Trump does not meet this criterion. "He has withdrawn the US from the World Health Organization and from the Paris Accord on climate, he has initiated a trade war on old friends and allies," she said. "That is not exactly what we think about when we think about a peaceful president or someone who really is interested in promoting peace."
Anyone can be nominated for the prize, but its website cautions that with "no vetting of nominations," "to simply be nominated is therefore not an official endorsement or honour and may not be used to imply affiliation with the Nobel Peace Prize or its related institutions."
Only individuals who meet certain criteria can nominate someone, including heads of state, members of government, former Nobel winners, and university professors.
Is there any US President won Peace Prize in past
Four US presidents have won the Nobel Peace Prize in the past:
- Theodore Roosevelt in 1906, for brokering peace in the Russo-Japanese War.
- Woodrow Wilson in 1919, for his efforts in ending World War I and founding the League of Nations.
- Jimmy Carter in 2002, awarded retrospectively for mediation in the Egypt-Israel peace agreement.
- Barack Obama in 2009, recognised for extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.
All received the award while in office except Carter, who was awarded the prize retrospectively for his mediation of a peace agreement between Egypt and Israel in 1978.
Obama won the Nobel Prize just nine months into his presidency for "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples".
In his acceptance speech, he acknowledged the surrounding controversy, saying: "Compared to some of the giants of history who've received this prize - Schweitzer and King; Marshall and Mandela - my accomplishments are slight."
It's a fact Trump has taken issue with.
In 2019, he said: "They gave it to Obama. He didn't even know what he got it for. He was there for about 15 seconds and he got the Nobel Prize. "With me, I probably will never get it." At a rally ahead of his second election win in 2024, he told supporters in Detroit: "If I were named Obama I would have had the Nobel Prize given to me in 10 seconds."
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