In a fiery address to top military brass at the Quantico Marine Corps Base on Tuesday, President Donald Trump unleashed a blistering tirade against the Nobel Peace Prize committee, branding any decision to overlook him as a "big insult" to the United States itself. The outspoken leader, fresh off unveiling a bold 20-point peace blueprint for Gaza just 24 hours earlier, boasted of single-handedly resolving eight intractable global conflicts in a mere eight months – a diplomatic blitz he claims eclipses any predecessor's achievements.
Trump's Gaza gambit, hammered out during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's White House visit on Monday, has already garnered nods from Israel, Qatar, and a slew of Arab and Muslim nations, including heavyweights like Egypt and Jordan. The plan's pillars are audacious: an immediate ceasefire, Hamas's full hostage release within 72 hours, amnesty for disarmed militants, and a sweeping "deradicalization" of Gaza under a neutral Palestinian technocratic council with UN and international oversight. Full-throttle humanitarian aid would follow, turbocharging reconstruction of shattered hospitals, roads, and schools in line with January's aid accords. "We've got it settled – or damn close," Trump crowed to the assembled generals and admirals. "Hamas has to play ball, and if they don't, it'll be very tough on them. But Israel said yes, the Arab world said yes. It's coming together like magic. This could be the eighth one – eight in eight months. That's pretty good. Nobody's ever done that."
The Nobel buzz has been electric since the plan's rollout, with Netanyahu personally nominating Trump for the prize back in July amid White House ceasefire talks. Allies like Pakistan and Cambodia have piled on, touting his "unrivaled deal-making" in prior ceasefires. Yet Trump, ever the showman, waved off personal glory with a mix of bravado and bitterness. "Will I get the Nobel? Absolutely not," he scoffed, his trademark scowl deepening. "They'll hand it to some guy who didn't do a damn thing – maybe a writer penning a book about the 'mind of Trump' and how I cracked these wars. Yeah, the prize goes to a storyteller, not the closer. But it'll be a huge slap in America's face. I don't want it for me – I want it for the country. We've earned it like never before."
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His dismissal rings hollow against a lifetime of high-stakes wheeling and dealing, from Manhattan skyscrapers to Mar-a-Lago summits. "This is what I do," Trump hammered home. "I know more about deals than anybody. Eight conflicts down? That's an honor bigger than any gold medal." The timing couldn't be sharper: With the 2025 Nobel announcement looming on October 10, Trump's Gaza masterstroke – if Hamas bites – could catapult him into contention, edging out 338 other nominees from aid warriors to journalists slain in Gaza's crossfire.
But the road to Oslo is pocked with potholes. French President Emmanuel Macron, in a pointed UN General Assembly jab last week, challenged Trump's Nobel dreams head-on: "If he truly wants the prize, stop the Gaza war now." Macron's barb echoed a chorus of skeptics, including Nobel historians like Asle Sveen, who dismissed Trump's odds as "zero" amid his staunch Israel backing and Putin overtures. A fresh poll reveals three-quarters of Americans agree: Trump hasn't earned it yet. Progressive voices, from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to Australian activist Drew Pavlou, are split – some hail the plan as a "legit Nobel play" if it dethrones Hamas and rebuilds Gaza, others decry it as vainglorious theater ignoring root causes like Palestinian statehood.
Undeterred, Trump's inner circle is abuzz. "He's obsessed – green with envy over Obama," whispered a European diplomat. Yet even critics concede: If this "beautiful day" – as Trump dubbed Monday's breakthrough – holds, it could rewrite the Middle East map, banishing Hezbollah threats and sidelining Iran. Tony Blair, roped in as a mediator, called it "a potential game-changer after millennia of strife." As the world watches Hamas's next move, one thing's clear: Trump's Nobel quest is as much about legacy as leverage. Will the committee crown the dealmaker, or consign him to the footnotes? With the clock ticking, the 45th president – eyeing a third term shadow – isn't betting on humility. "Think of it," he urged his Quantico audience. "Eight wars ended. That's not just peace – that's perfection."
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