Trump claims he merits a peace prize ahead of looming announcement

As wars grind on from Ukraine to the Middle East, US President Donald Trump is again making the case that he belongs on the world’s most celebrated peace stage — even as he concedes the Nobel judges may not be inclined to agree.

“I don’t know what their decision is going to be,” Mr Trump said of the 2026 award, which the Norwegian Nobel Committee will announce on Friday.

“They have a reputation for maybe not giving it to people like me.”

Since returning to the White House last year, Mr Trump has repeatedly argued that his role in international flashpoints merits what is often described as the world’s most prestigious prize.

“It is about ‌that time,” Mr Trump told ⁠reporters in the Oval Office.

“But I was very honoured to receive it indirectly last time by the recipient, who said nobody in history deserves it more than President Trump.”

That “indirect” honour, he said, came earlier this year when Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado handed him her Nobel Peace Prize medal during a January visit, an appeal for US backing as she pressed her campaign in Venezuela.

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gave her 2025 Nobel Peace Prize medal to Trump in January as she sought ‌US support for her efforts in Venezuela.

Mr Trump said his claim to the prize is rooted in his decision to wade into eight conflicts since taking office last January.

Maria Corina Machado presenting her Nobel medal to US President Donald Trump

He also pointed to what he described as support from abroad. The leaders of Cambodia, Israel and Pakistan have said ‌they nominated Mr Trump, though there is no way of verifying that.

Still, the peace-making record he cites is disputed. Parties to ⁠some conflicts ‌Mr Trump claims to have resolved contest the extent of the US president’s diplomatic role, and violence has since reignited in some of those same theatres — including the Democratic Republic of Congo and along the border between Cambodia ⁠and Thailand.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump has not delivered the breakthrough he once promised in Europe. A resolution to Russia’s war in Ukraine has eluded Mr Trump, who pledged to end it ⁠on the first day of his second White House term.

Tensions in the Middle East have also intensified. US-Israel strikes on Iran have led to a seven-month simmering conflict that has upended global energy supplies and driven gas prices up before November’s midterm elections.

As Mr Trump looks ahead, other names are widely viewed as leading contenders for ‌this year: Pope Leo, the International Criminal Court, the special rapporteur for the Palestinian Territories, are among the favorites to win ‌this year.