US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he believes he should win the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, while acknowledging that he is uncertain whether the Norwegian Nobel Committee will select him. Trump made the comments as the committee prepared to announce this year's laureate on Friday, October 9. The award will be announced at 11 am CEST at the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo. Trump has repeatedly argued since returning to the White House in January 2025 that his diplomatic efforts have earned him consideration for the prize, which is among the world's most prominent international awards. The committee, however, keeps the identities of nominees confidential for 50 years.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said he did not know what decision the committee would make and suggested that its history could make his selection less likely. "I don't know what their decision is going to be," Trump said. "They have a reputation for maybe not giving it to people like me." He added, "It is about that time," referring to the approaching announcement. Trump also pointed to what he described as recognition he had received indirectly from last year's Nobel Peace Prize recipient, saying he had been "very honored" by the gesture. His comments came as attention intensified ahead of the committee's announcement and amid his broader campaign to highlight his administration's diplomatic record.
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Trump was referring to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who received the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. Machado gave Trump her Nobel medal in January as she sought US support for her efforts in Venezuela. Trump has subsequently cited the gesture while making the case that he deserves the prize himself. The transfer of the medal, however, was a personal gesture and did not make Trump a Nobel laureate or establish that he was formally nominated. The Norwegian Nobel Institute says it does not announce the names of nominees, either to the media or to the candidates themselves. Names that emerge publicly can reflect claims by people who say they submitted a nomination or speculation about potential candidates. Since taking office, Trump has said he helped prevent, resolve or de-escalate eight international conflicts and has presented those efforts as evidence that he merits the Peace Prize.
Leaders in Cambodia, Israel and Pakistan have publicly said they nominated Trump, although such claims cannot be independently confirmed because of the Nobel Committee's confidentiality rules. For 2026, the committee has confirmed that 287 candidates were nominated, including 208 individuals and 79 organisations. The committee said nominations are submitted by authorised nominators and that, after reviewing valid nominations, it creates a shortlist and seeks assessments from experts before reaching its decision. The official nominee list will remain confidential for decades, meaning public claims of nominations cannot be treated as confirmed by the committee. Trump's description of his diplomatic record has also been challenged by developments in several of the conflicts he says his administration helped address. Fighting has flared again in the Democratic Republic of Congo, while violence and tensions have returned along the Cambodia-Thailand border.
His administration has also yet to broker an end to the war in Ukraine, while the United States has been engaged in a conflict with Iran. These developments have complicated Trump's claims about his role in bringing lasting peace to international disputes. Reuters reported that Trump has nevertheless continued to argue that his involvement in multiple conflicts distinguishes his foreign-policy record and strengthens his case for the Nobel award. The president has also repeatedly framed his foreign-policy initiatives as evidence that his administration has pursued negotiations and settlements rather than simply relying on military pressure, though the outcomes of individual conflicts remain contested and, in some cases, unresolved, leaving the committee to assess the broader record for itself rather than relying on political claims alone, publicly.
The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded by the five-member Norwegian Nobel Committee, which operates independently of the other Nobel committees. The committee says the prize is intended to honour the person or organisation that has conferred the greatest benefit on humankind in the field of peace, in line with Alfred Nobel's will. For 2026, the committee has said the award will be announced on Friday at the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo, with the ceremony scheduled for December 10. Until the announcement, Trump's status as a possible candidate cannot be officially established by the committee, even if political leaders or other public figures say they nominated him. Trump, meanwhile, has made clear that he believes his international diplomacy should be recognised with the world's most famous peace award, while conceding that the final decision rests with the Norwegian committee.
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