Donald Trump’s vocal pursuit of a Nobel Peace Prize might actually work against him, potentially hurting his chances of securing the prestigious award and the accompanying $1 million.
While he didn’t mention Trump by name, Asle Toje, deputy leader of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, warned that “influence campaigns” are more likely to have “a negative effect than a positive one” when determining the recipient of the annual prize.
“Some candidates push for it really hard and we do not like it,” Toje told Reuters. “We are used to working in a locked room without being attempted to be influenced. It is hard enough as it is to reach an agreement among ourselves, without having more people trying to influence us.”
Trump has long made his desire for a Nobel Peace Prize clear, claiming to have ended or resolved seven international conflicts since returning to the White House—though he sometimes struggles to recall the names of the countries involved. He has also claimed credit for ending 10 conflicts if “pre-wars” are included.
During his address at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City on Tuesday, Trump lamented the lack of recognition for his peace efforts.
“I ended seven wars, dealt with the leaders of each and every one of these countries, and never even received a phone call from the United Nations offering to help,” he said. “These are the two things I got from the United Nations, a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter,” he added, referencing technical difficulties during his speech.
Historian Asle Sveen also cast doubt on Trump’s prospects, telling Reuters the president has “no chance to get the Peace Prize at all,” pointing to his support for Israel in the Gaza conflict and his overtures toward Russian President Vladimir Putin amid the Ukraine invasion.
Nina Graeger, director of the Peace Research Institute Oslo, highlighted additional factors that could count against Trump.
“He has withdrawn the U.S. from the World Health Organization and from the Paris Accord on climate, he has initiated a trade war on old friends and allies,” she told Reuters. “That is not exactly what we think about when we think about a peaceful president or someone who really is interested in promoting peace.”
Graeger noted, however, that Trump could still be considered if he manages to broker a ceasefire in Gaza or resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
This leaves a small window of hope for Trump, who lamented in a June Truth Social post that he won’t get a Nobel Peace Prize “no matter what I do.”
White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly defended the president, saying, “Leaders from Pakistan, Cambodia, and other countries have called for President Trump to win the Nobel Peace Prize, and they are the best authority to do so because they have benefited directly from the president’s peacemaking efforts.
“President Trump is being widely hailed as the peacemaker-in-chief because he deserves it, but as he said, the best reward is the countless lives he is saving by stopping wars around the world.”
The winner of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize will be announced on October 10.
