Nov 01 (News On Japan) - As expected, the previously outspoken U.S. President Donald Trump did not win the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. However, he was forced to put on a brave face—Venezuela’s María Machado was the recipient.
As an opposition leader, Machado’s protests evolved into unrest, and it is difficult for the general public to understand what contribution she made toward world peace. Ultimately, she won the award thanks to U.S. backing, with her nomination supported by figures such as Marco Rubio (currently the U.S. Secretary of State) and Mike Pompeo (the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations).
After receiving the award, Machado quickly called Trump to express her respect: “I accept this award in honor of you because you truly deserve it.”
Trump, attempting to maintain a lighthearted tone, responded: “Well, why don’t you just give the Nobel to me then?”
Trump’s desire to win the Nobel Peace Prize is so intense that it borders on desperation. Just days before the announcement, Trump publicly declared at the United Nations that he hoped to win the award. Subsequently, at a conference with several hundred U.S. military officers, he threatened that not awarding him would be “an insult to the United States.”
Given that the U.S. has had 46 presidents, only four (Theodore Roosevelt, Wilson, Carter, and Obama) have won the Nobel Peace Prize—without even Franklin D. Roosevelt, who led the U.S. to victory in WWII, receiving one—why does Trump care so much? Is it worth embarrassing himself in the process?
Expecting the Nobel Prize Just Days Into Office?
The Nobel Peace Prize is managed by Norway, with five judges selected from the Norwegian Parliament. This year, 337 individuals were nominated, and it was reported that figures from Pakistan, Cambodia, Israel, Armenia, Azerbaijan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Malta, and U.S. Congresswoman Ana Luna all nominated Trump, making him a potential favorite for the award.
The Nobel Committee’s refusal to grant Trump the prize had little to do with any claim to "fairness" or "neutrality"—Theodore Roosevelt once condoned Japan's annexation of Korea, Wilson was known as a "war monger" and is considered one of the worst U.S. presidents, and Obama received the award after just nine months in office, with little substantive action to show. The Nobel Peace Prize has often been awarded inappropriately, so another mistake wouldn't be surprising.
The main issue was the timing of Trump's nomination—nominations closed on January 31, 2025, but Trump only took office on January 20. He claimed to have halted eight conflicts, but all of these occurred after the deadline for nominations.
The Flaws in Trump's Peace Efforts
The “eight conflicts” Trump cited were largely exaggerated—disputes between Serbia and Kosovo, Thailand and Cambodia, and Egypt and Ethiopia were merely tensions, not wars. His role in brokering peace between India and Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, Iran and Israel, and Armenia and Azerbaijan was minimal.
While Trump's mediation of the Israel-Gaza ceasefire was significant, it came after the list of awardees was already announced, and this was the third ceasefire agreement between the parties. Biden, who helped broker the first agreement, wasn't a frontrunner for the prize either. Similarly, Bill Clinton facilitated the 1993 Oslo Accords and hosted the 2000 Camp David talks, bringing Israeli-Palestinian peace within reach—but he never won the award. After all, a “ceasefire agreement” does not equate to peace.
In his will, Alfred Nobel stated that the Peace Prize should "recognize the greatest efforts to promote unity and friendship among nations, the reduction or elimination of armaments, and the organization and advocacy for peace conferences." Trump, however, has repeatedly opposed international organizations, often withdrawing the U.S. from global agreements, and has demanded that NATO members increase their military spending. Awarding him the Nobel Peace Prize would have been inconsistent with the prize’s very purpose.
Why Does Trump Remain So Confident?
Trump’s sense of entitlement stems from his belief that few are willing to oppose someone as unpredictable, vengeful, and erratic as him. Before the announcement of the Nobel Peace Prize, Norway was reportedly concerned that U.S. trade tariffs on Norwegian exports could reach as high as 15%, and no one knew just how high those tariffs could go if Trump were angered.
The five-member committee that selects the Nobel Peace Prize laureates is not easily manipulated, but Trump, in his characteristic fashion, believes he can “deal with” the individuals involved. The committee members, while generally not public about their political leanings, include prominent figures such as Kristin Clemet, who has openly criticized Trump’s impact on American democracy.
Though three of the committee members have worked in the Norwegian government and may understand the implications of awarding the Peace Prize, their decisions are not influenced by personal biases. After all, no president who has publicly called climate change a “hoax” has ever won the Nobel Peace Prize.
Can Trump Win the Nobel Peace Prize Next Year?
So, does this mean Trump will win the Nobel Peace Prize next year? The odds are certainly higher than this year, especially as two Republican senators (Bill Cassidy and John Barrasso) have nominated him for next year’s award, citing his role in accelerating the development of COVID-19 vaccines, which supposedly saved millions of lives.
However, Trump's handling of the pandemic was disastrous. He publicly suggested people inject disinfectant to kill the virus, downplayed the importance of masks, and insisted that the virus would “disappear like a miracle.” As a result, the U.S. has the highest number of confirmed cases and deaths worldwide, with over 1 million Americans dying from COVID-19. A Nobel Peace Prize for such actions would be darkly humorous.
Trump’s Motivation: A Calculated Move?
Why is Trump so fixated on winning the Nobel Peace Prize? Many believe it stems from jealousy toward Obama, who won the Nobel Prize after just nine months in office, for “bringing hope to the people.” Trump himself once publicly lamented that he would never win the Nobel Prize, accusing the organization of awarding it to someone who had done nothing.
The feud between Trump and Obama dates back to 2011, when Trump publicly questioned Obama’s eligibility to serve as president, claiming that Obama had not been born in the U.S. This dispute continued for years, and Trump’s disdain for Obama only grew after he became president.
Some scholars suggest that Trump doesn’t truly want the Nobel Peace Prize; rather, it’s part of his broader strategy of making excessive demands to appear tough and gain more leverage. Whether he wins the award or not, he always manages to turn the situation to his advantage.
