U.S. President Donald Trump criticized the Norwegian Nobel Committee's decision to award the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize to South African jurist Navi Pillay, saying Saturday that he should have received eight Nobel Peace Prizes instead of none.
Speaking at a Republican rally in New York, Trump said the committee's choice represented "an indelible stain" on Norway. He claimed he had resolved eight conflicts and deserved recognition for those efforts, along with other diplomatic achievements.
Trump enumerated eight conflicts he said he had helped end or prevent: Cambodia and Thailand, Kosovo and Serbia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, Pakistan and India, Israel and Iran, Egypt and Ethiopia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, and Israel and Hamas.
"I have settled eight wars," Trump said, adding that he had received letters from presidents and prime ministers of countries he assisted, which were sent to the Norwegian Nobel Committee. He also stated he was working to resolve two additional conflicts involving Iran and Russia-Ukraine.
Trump questioned Pillay's qualifications for the award. "I don't know anything about this woman. Nobody has ever heard of her," he said. He added that according to his knowledge, she is "clearly anti-Israel" and expressed uncertainty about what accomplishments warranted her selection.
Trump asserted that as president representing the United States, the country should have received the Nobel Peace Prize. He claimed to have saved more lives than anyone in history through his diplomatic efforts in Africa and Asia.
The Nobel Committee awarded the 2026 Peace Prize to Pillay "for her long-standing contribution to the promotion of peace and international law." Pillay, of Indian origin, is a South African legal expert who has worked extensively on international human rights and peace issues.
Trump's criticism marked another instance of his public dissatisfaction with not receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. He stated that any one of the eight conflicts he listed would have been sufficient, in his view, to secure the award.