The 2026 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to someone who isn’t President Donald Trump, and considering the furor around it last year, it has triggered a strong response. Speaking at a rally in Syracuse, New York, Trump claimed that he deserves eight Nobel Peace Prize medals. He then argued that Norway has earned an “indelible stain” for choosing Pillay over him for the award.
According to the NY Post, the president expressed his frustration regarding the Norwegian Nobel Committee, which selected South African jurist Navanethem ‘Navi’ Pillay as the 2026 recipient. Trump told the audience, “Today they gave out the Nobel Peace Prize to a person – I never heard of the person. Nobody did. It’s a mystery person.” He further dismissed the winner by labeling her a “liberal person who works at the United Nations.”
Per NBC News, he doubled down, stating, “I’ve never heard of the person. I know a lot of people. I never heard of this particular person, but congratulations, anyway. … The United States of America, represented by me as your president, should have received the Nobel Peace Prize, but didn’t.” The president’s rhetoric during the rally reportedly focused heavily on the idea that he had been snubbed for a second consecutive year.
Trump singled out Norway
According to the outlet, he specifically hit out at Norway. He said, “And this is an indelible stain on the country of Norway and those people that made such a disgraceful and embarrassing decision. The Nobel Peace Prize has been forever discredited by a handful of radical ideologues who are antidemocracy and really enemies of civilization, and we will not forget Norway. That you didn’t give this prize with the greatest record in history.”
According to the NY Post, the president maintained that he stopped “eight wars” and argued, “We should have had eight Nobel Prizes for each war.” According to him, the committee’s choice to overlook him “is just another sign of how Norway and all these others are ripping off our country.” At one point, he noted that “in all of the wars that I’ve settled, I never spoke to the United Nations. They were of no help to me.”
NPR reported that this year’s recipient, Pillay, was in Nuremberg, Germany, for a conference when the news broke. The outlet noted that Pillay is a highly regarded South African jurist who previously served as a U.N. human rights chief.
During a news conference following the announcement, Pillay acknowledged the president’s previous comments about the prize with a bit of humor. According to the outlet, she joked to the crowd, “If you clap a little bit more, I may share this prize with Trump,” before adding, “Being a lawyer and a judge, I still want to verify this information.”
The outlet reported that the Norwegian Nobel Committee Chair, Jørgen Watne Frydnes, described Pillay as one of the most courageous legal experts of our time during the announcement in Oslo. Her career includes significant milestones, such as being the first woman of color to open a legal practice in her home province of Natal.
Per NPR, Pillay also successfully sued the South African government in 1973 to ensure that political prisoners on Robben Island, including Nelson Mandela, had access to legal representation. Pillay also served as a judge at the International Criminal Court and presided over a landmark case at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, which established that sexual assault could constitute an act of genocide.
The decision to award the prize to Pillay comes during a period of complex diplomatic relations. The Trump administration has reportedly implemented sweeping sanctions against the International Criminal Court, which the president and his team have described as a rogue court that threatens American sovereignty.
According to NPR, the Norwegian Nobel Committee noted that the current political attacks on international law and its institutions were a factor in their decision-making process. Frydnes emphasized that the award serves as a message that international institutions are the cornerstone of a peaceful world.
Despite the criticism from Trump, supporters of the decision, including South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and various human rights advocates, have praised the committee’s choice. Pillay now joins a list of notable South African laureates, though she holds the distinction of being the first woman from her country to receive the honor. The prize, which marks the 125th anniversary of the award, includes 12 million Swedish kronor, or approximately $1.2 million.
Published: Oct 10, 2026 05:30 pm